History Cookbook: Brown Bread Ice Cream

Healthiness : (13 votes)

Comments: Lovely in small amounts.
Preparation Time: 40 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Number of servings: 4-6 servings


Brown bread ice-cream is an old-fashioned English recipe. It is made from vanilla ice-cream plus crunchy caramelised bread crumbs. Ice cream and sorbets were very popular, especially towards the end of the Victorian period, amongst the rich. Richer homes had new coolers making ices popular. Victorian menus often had many courses and the ice creams and sorbets were served as a refreshing break between the richer courses of meat, fish or rich puddings.

• 4 large egg yolks
• 3 oz (90g) caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornflour
• ½ vanilla pod
• ½ pint (0.3 L) milk
• 2 oz (60g) butter
• 3 oz (90g) crustless wholemeal bread
• 2 oz (60g) soft light brown sugar
• ½ pint (0.3 L) double cream

1 oz = 28.35g rounded up in this recipe to 30g
1 UK pint = 0.568 Litres

• Weighing scales
• Measuring jug
• Pan
• Wooden spoon
• Sharp knife
• Whisk

Always wash your hands before preparing food.

1. Crumble the wholemeal brown bread
2. Mix the brown sugar with the melted butter and add the crumbs
3. Stir well then spread the mixture on a baking sheet
4. Bake the crumbs in a pre-heated oven at 180 centigrade for 15-20 minutes, turning from time to time until they are toasted and crisp
5. Allow to cool
6. Cut the vanilla pod open and scrape out the seeds
7. Pour the milk into a heavy-based saucepan, add the vanilla pod and seeds and bring to the boil
8. Remove from the heat and leave for 15 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse
9. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a bowl until thick and pale
10. Gradually pour on the hot milk, whisking constantly
11. Return the mixture to the pan and cook over a gentle heat, stirring all the time
12. When the custard thickens and coats the back of the spoon, strain out the pod and cool
13. Stir the cream into the custard and churn the mixture until thick
14. Take the breadcrumbs and crumble up any lumps
15. Stir the crumbs into the mixture
16. Churn for 5-10 minutes until ready to serve

There are 2 comments for this recipe.
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Name: Kayleigh	8th December 2011
So much info in so few words. Tosltoy could learn a lot.

Name: Lexi Loiuse	22nd March 2011
I have never tried the brown bread ice cream does it taste nice and is it suitable for athlete's? would like to know ASAP thanks:) Ice cream is high in fat and sugar, so it would depend what training you are doing. Athlete's usually have higher quantities of carbohydrates if they are training. However Brown Bread Ice Cream is delicious, it was a firm favourite with our testers. The Cookit Team

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