In any Irish kitchen there is always a stale piece of soda bread left over in the bread bin, which is a great excuse to make soda bread ice cream. Roasting the bread crumbs with the brown sugar creates little crunch speckles throughout. The Baileys adds another depth of coffee and caramel flavor and a silky texture. You can leave this out if you prefer, but it really is delicious.
Ingredients
- 5 ounces breadcrumbs from Irish soda bread (the bread should be at least 1 day old)
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 vanilla bean
- 5 large free-range egg yolks
- 1/3 cup Baileys Irish cream liqueur
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a bowl, place the breadcrumbs and brown sugar, and mix well. Sprinkle the sugared bread crumbs onto a baking sheet, spreading them out evenly. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are slightly darker and the sugar has melted; stir occasionally while they are baking. Let cool.
Meanwhile, pour the milk and cream into a saucepan, place over medium heat, and stir in the white sugar. Using a small, sharp knife, slit the vanilla bean down its length and scoop out the tiny black seeds. Stir them into the milk and cream mixture. Reduce the heat and continue to stir, until all the sugar has dissolved then remove from heat.
In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks. Gradually add the warm milk and cream mixture, beating gently to combine. Transfer the mixture back to the pan and place over low heat. Cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens to the consistency of custard.
Remove the custard from the heat and stir in the Baileys, along with the cooled, sugared breadcrumbs. Mix well.
Pour the ice cream mixture into a freezer-proof container, and freeze overnight before serving. Stir the ice cream two or three times to prevent it freezing into a solid block.
This will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.
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