When I first heard about ice cream bread, I was as skeptical as you might be right about now. How could two ingredients (softened ice cream and self-rising flour) bake up into… bread? But when I sat down and wrote out the ingredients that make up ice cream (cream, sugar, eggs) and self-rising flour (flour, salt, baking powder), I realized something—I’d just written out an ingredient list for quick bread. It’s important to note the difference in flours such as bread flour vs. all-purpose flouras they aren’t all the same.
In other words, it’s a cook’s most clever shortcut to baking quick bread!
The ice cream bread experiment
I heard aboutthe magic a talented food blogger worked with ice cream and self-rising flour, and I simply had to try it myself. I started with the Taste of Home recipe for Ice Cream Bread. It calls for:
Since a friend had dropped off some Haagen-Dazsas a “thank you” for dog-sitting her pup, that’s what I used. It was frozen solid, so I microwaved it to soften the ice cream. After measuring out a cup and mixing in 3/4 cup of self-rising flour and a spoonful of sugar, I had a thick and heavy batter. I poured everything into a loaf pan and baked at 350°F for 25 minutes.
The result: a super moist, coffee cake-like loaf. It wasn’t quite as sweet as I’d hoped, but I figured that was more about the ice cream flavor than anything else. For my next ice cream bread attempt, I decided not to use any added sugar at all to be more true to the notion of using precisely two ingredients. And guess what? I couldn’t tell the difference! Neither could my teenage son or his three friends, who gobbled up both—without any toppings at all—over the course of a single day. Clearly, it was a crowdpleaser as it went along perfectly with my bread puns!
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Then I used Cherry Garcia…
The very next day, I went out and bought a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia because I was curious about how the bread would turn out with cherry and chocolate chunks. This time, I let the ice cream melt on its own before mixing in the flour, which created an airier, less gloppy batter. I also used no additional sugar.
The result: The chocolate sank to the bottom and caramelized slightly, while the cherries remained aloft. But more importantly, the texture was moist and tender, just like the Bourbon Praline Pecan version, although my taste-testers (same teenage boys again) said that even without the extra sugar, the taste was sweeter than they expected bread to be. I couldn’t argue.
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How about store-brand butter pecan?
It wasn’t until I used a store-brand butter pecan that I really got into my ice cream bread groove. Perhaps it was the simplicity of the butter pecan flavor, or perhaps it was a slightly lower fat content, but the butter pecan version literally astounded my taste testers. “It’s like something you’d find in the bread basket at a fancy little inn upstate,” said my foodie-friend Lisa as she slathered it with soft, creamy butter. (She took another slice to go before she left!) As for the teenage boys, they were content to gobble it up plain.
I decided to bake up another batch, but this time in a tart pan.It delivered the same great taste, but it took only 20 minutes to bake because it was thinner. And a pie-shaped wedge formed the perfect base for a scoop of the same butter pecan that I’d used in the bread, plus a drizzle of dark chocolate fudge sauce. Yum!
The takeaways
Ice cream bread is a total win, no matter what flavor and is sure to compete for the top spot along with other fan favorites like Hawaiian bread! That being said, I did learn a couple of things:
- I’m a fan of the simpler flavors (without ribbons or significant chunks) because the results are more predictable. You don’t have to worry about chocolate chunks falling to the bottom of the pan.
- You don’t need to add any sugar, so it’s a true two-ingredient recipe.
- For an airier texture, allow the ice cream to soften on its own rather than microwaving.
With only ice cream and self-rising flour, this recipe bakes up into a moist and tender cake-like bread with a subtle sweetness. It pairs equally well with a pat of butter, a scoop of ice cream, or a heap of fresh berries and a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Next, don’t miss these 13 secret ingredients for irresistible cookies.
Sources:
Taste of Home2 Million People Love This Fried Chicken Recipe
FAQs
Ingredients. The principal ingredients in all bread are: Flour. Yeast.
What are the 7 basic ingredients for quick bread? ›
The possibilities are endless, but the common factor is the basic ingredients of fat, sugar, eggs, flour, liquid, leavening agent, and a flavoring ingredient. The flavoring might be a fruit or vegetable, a liquid such as buttermilk or fruit juice, an extract, herbs, or spices.
What three ingredients give bread flavor? ›
The volatile esters, aldehydes and secondary alcohols are the most significant flavor compounds produced during the dough fermentation by bakers yeast, are of particular interest in bread, because they contribute pleasant fruity and buttery flavor notes.
What are the original ingredients in bread? ›
Bread is the product of baking a mixture of flour, water, salt, yeast and other ingredients. The basic process involves mixing of ingredients until the flour is converted into a stiff paste or dough, followed by baking the dough into a loaf.
What are the 4 most common ingredients in bread? ›
In addition to the four main ingredients used to make bread – flour, salt, yeast and water – there are often small quantities of other ingredients which are added to improve the texture, crumb structure and keeping properties of the bread. All ingredients in bread will be clearly listed on the wrapper.
What 2 liquids are most commonly used in bread making? ›
Liquid—Milk and water are the usual liquids used in breads. All forms of milk—fresh, evaporated, or dry—can be used with good results. Evaporated milk needs only to be diluted for use (half evaporated milk, half water). Dry milk can be mixed with dry ingredients for speedy mixing operation.
What are 2 quick breads? ›
Muffins, scones, soda bread, pancakes, banana bread, cornbread and biscuits all fall under the “quick bread” category. These quick bread recipes typically fall into two subcategories: bread made with dough and bread made with batter.
What are the 5 main ingredients in bread? ›
Basic ingredients are bread flour (or any higher protein flour between 12–14%), yeast, salt, sugar and water around 25–27c (78–80 degrees Fahrenheit).
What are the 5 most used ingredients in quick breads? ›
Almost all quick breads have the same basic ingredients: flour, leavening, eggs, fat (butter, margarine, shortening, or oil), and liquid such as milk. Ingredients beyond these basic constituents are added for variations in flavor and texture.
What makes homemade bread taste better? ›
If you're looking to ramp up the taste of your favorite bread recipe, we recommend adding a bit of fat. A fat like butter, olive oil or coconut oil in small quantities will help your bread achieve a higher rise and it will also boost its flavor by tenfold.
The Baking Process
Finally, there's a stark difference in the way Italian and French loaves of bread are baked. The former is often prepared inside a flat stone oven. Alternately, wood-fire or stone ovens may be used to bake Italian flatbreads to give them their signature aroma and smoky flavour.
What bread has the least amount of ingredients? ›
“Sourdough is typically made with very minimal ingredients, just a combination of water and flour that create a sourdough starter, whereas other breads may have added fillers, oils, and more.”
What does egg do in bread dough? ›
besides the nutritional benefits there are a few other good reasons to use egg in breadmaking. It makes the bread lighter and fluffier. The reason for that is the fat in the yolk that inhibits gluten formation just as any other fat would. This results in a looser dough that can expand and puff up more.
What is the slang bread? ›
The word bread has been used as American slang for money since at least the 1930s. Food is among the most important reasons people need money, and the slang bread likely refers to the fact that bread is one of the most commonly eaten (and purchased) foods.
How long does homemade bread last? ›
Johanna Hartzheim, co-founder and head of product at Wildgrain, a bread and pasta delivery service, recommends eating homemade bread within three days but says it will last up to a week. "The bread will start to dry up and become a bit harder over time, but it takes much longer until it becomes moldy," she says.
What are the five main ingredients in bread? ›
Basic ingredients are bread flour (or any higher protein flour between 12–14%), yeast, salt, sugar and water around 25–27c (78–80 degrees Fahrenheit).
What are the two basic types of yeast bread? ›
There are two types of yeast breads, which are described below. Batter breads The dough for batter breads is not kneaded. Batter bread is coarser in shape and texture than bread prepared with kneaded dough.
