Hi Bold Bakers!
My Homemade Ice Cream is a fan favorite, for sure.
So today I’m going to show you a really fun way you can make soft-serve ice cream
at home, using a fascinating technique, something we’ve never done before here on Bigger Bolder
Baking.
So let’s get started.
We’re going to start out by making our ice cream base.
It’s a little bit different from what you’ve seen before, but this whole episode is a little
bit different, so you’re just going to have to go with me.
In a large bowl, we’re going to add in our full-fat milk.
We use full-fat because it’s creamier.
Next up is some dry milk powder.
Now this is an important ingredient—don’t leave it out.
But you can actually get it at all grocery stores, so in case you haven’t heard of
it before, look it up.
I guarantee you it’s in your grocery store.
Next is our sugar, some fresh cream, vanilla extract, (because we’re making vanilla soft-serve,)
and then some salt, because I always say, everything needs salt.
So these are the ingredients for our ice cream base.
Now I have a liquidizer and blend it up because I want to make sure it’s really smooth,
I break down any lumps that are in the dry milk powder, and just get a nice ice cream
base.
Okay, that’s it.
That is the base for our ice cream.
Now it’s important to pop this guy in the fridge and keep it really cold while we get
ready for our next ingredient.
Okay, so I have to put my fancy gloves on because our secret ingredient to make our
ice cream is dry ice.
Look at how amazing that is.
It gets really, really cold, almost to the point where it’s hot, so you have to wear
gloves when you handle it.
Now this is food-grade dry ice, and what dry ice is, is carbo dioxide—CO2.
And it is generally used for keeping things cold, for food; it is used to carbonate drinks
in lots of different ways.
Here in the U.S., I buy dry ice in my local supermarket, and they sell it in big bags.
But depending where you are in the world, it is not always as available, so I suggest
Googling it, see where you can buy it, and then go from there.
Our next step in the process of making our soft-serve is to bash up our dry ice really
nice and fine.
So I’m going to use an apron, but you can use a really large napkin.
Just make sure it’s nice bag so as to give you some room—and clean, make sure it’s
clean.
And then just add on your dry ice.
Now I would use something with a bit of heft to it, and then we’re just going to fold
up the sides, and then bash it up until you know it’s all broken up in nice and fine
crumbles.
Unfortunately, for this recipe, there’s no substitution, so you kind of do need it.
When it’s all bashed up and nice and fine, this is what you end up with.
Look at that: little small bits of dry ice.
Then I’m going to pour it straight into my bowl.
Look at that, kind of magical, isn’t it?
So this is our dry ice.
Now it’s important to put this back in the freezer and keep everything nice and cold,
and we’re going to get set up for the next step.
A really good way to keep your soft-serve nice and cold through this process is by freezing
your bowl, so pop it into the freezer for an hour before you make your ice cream.
Here I have my ice cream base, which is also really cold—another important tip.
And then we’re just going to pour it into the bowl.
So we’re all ready to go.
I have my bowl of dry ice, I’ve got a spoon to scoop it in, and then I’m going to turn
on my machine to medium-high speed, and then very slowly, I’m going to add in scoop by
scoop a bit of dry ice.
Now you don’t want to go too fast, because if you add it in too fast, you won’t end
up with a really fine consistency.
As you add in the dry ice, the liquid in it evaporates, and when that happens, it goes
cold.
And that is what’s freezing the ice cream right now.
I know this is a lot to get your head around, but I put a lot more detail on BiggerBolderBaking.com,
along with where I got the recipe from.
You’ll notice your mix bubbling.
That’s fine, that’s natural.
As you add in more, you’ll notice your mix getting thicker and thicker.
When it gets really thick, that’s when you stop.
And that is soft-serve ice cream.
Just look at that.
Isn’t that absolutely crazy?
Just a little bit of milk, cream, some dry ice… oh my gosh, it tastes amazing.
So I’m going to put this into a piping bag, and we’re going to make ourselves some ice
cream cones.
For your ice cream cone, you can always use store-bought (boo), or you can make your own
(yay)!
With sprinkles, with chocolate, and deliciousness.
I highly recommend these ones.
I made these cones in a Bold Baking Basics episode, so make sure you check that out.
To get your soft-serve into your cones, I am using a piping bag and a nozzle, just going
to make it look really pretty, and make it look like it came out of a machine.
Okay, here we go with our soft-serve ice cream!
Stick your piping bag in the bottom of your cone and then fill it full with your soft-serve
ice cream all the way to the top.
Who knew you could make soft-serve in the comfort of your own home?
Now this stuff is best eaten straight away.
If you freeze it overnight, it can go hard, so I would say, just dig in.
Oh my gosh.
Oh that is some serious comfort food right there.
I have lots more ice cream recipes on my website, so make sure you check them out.
And I will see you back here next week for more Bigger Bolder Baking.