This recipe is a bit time consuming and leaves a sinkful of dirty dishes in its wake, but I think it’s worth the effort. The base is fantastic – creamy and rich with a ton of cinnamon flavor; I would absolutely have eaten it on its own. The recipe, however, calls for taking things a step further by folding homemade cinnamon-sugar bread cubes into the base. I know, it sounds really strange (and trust me, I was skeptical too) but it works. The cubes are delicious, I nibbled on more than a few as I made the custard, and they actually stay crunchy in the ice cream for a few days. If you’re wary, or don’t think the ice cream would be eaten that quickly at your house, you could make the cubes, store them in an airtight container, and sprinkle them over your ice cream as a topping instead of a mix-in. It’s a good way to use whatever bread you might have hanging around – I used leftover challah for mine.
By Tracey
Cinnamon Toast Ice Cream
from Gourmet
Ingredients:
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
- 5 slices firm white sandwich bread
- 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon molasses
- 1 cup heavy cream
Directions:
Combine the milk and cinnamon sticks in a 2-qt saucepan. Bring the milk to a boil, then turn off the heat and cover the pan – allow to steep for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 300 F with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
Cut 3 slices of the bread into 1/4-inch cubes and transfer them to a medium bowl. Pulse the remaining 2 slices of bread in your food processor to make bread crumbs. In a small bowl whisk the melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon together. Drizzle about 3/4 of the mixture over the cubes of bread, tossing to coat them evenly. Transfer to one of the prepared baking sheets, spreading the cubes in a single layer. Add the bread crumbs to the remaining butter mixture and stir to coat. Spread on the second prepared baking sheet.
Bake the bread cubes and crumbs for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Stir occasionally and rotate the pans from top to bottom halfway through to ensure even baking. Leave on the pans and set aside to cool. Once cool, transfer the bread crumbs to a heatproof bowl.
Bring the milk back to a boil and then pour it over the bread crumbs. Let stand for 10 minutes, then pour the milk through a fine-mesh strainer into a saucepan. Press on the solids to extract as much milk as possible. Discard the solids afterward.
In a medium bowl whisk the egg yolks, granulated sugar, molasses and a pinch of salt together. Bring the milk to a boil once again. Slowly add the hot milk to the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon (it will register between 170 and 175 F on an instant read thermometer).
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the heavy cream. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl. Cover and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator. Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Fold in the bread cubes once churned, then transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.
