Stale bread yaytime

This is quite an elaborate recipe, a riff on an Australian classic iced confection, a reflection on how to upcycle basic ingredients and a lament for wasted bread.

Texture is the name of the game with these breadcrumb-crusted popsicles. Credit: Danielle Abou Karam

• serves

  12

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

You could follow this whole recipe or just pick and choose. The brown bread toffee ice cream is amazing. The crispy chocolate shell is “magic” and the sweet breadcrumb concept lends itself well to a makeshift crumble or ice cream topper, especially when made with old raisin bread or brioche.

Ingredients

• 260 g milk
• 240 ml pure cream
• 180 g caster sugar
• 120 g egg yolks (about 7 eggs)
• 30 g slice crustless wholemeal or sourdough bread, toasted  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 g sea salt

Toasted breadcrumbs

• 50 g unsalted butter
• 3 stale brioche, wholemeal sourdough or any bread rolls, blended into a rough crumb
• 2 tsp caster sugar

Coating

• 200 g dark chocolate (54 per cent couverture), chopped
• 40 g copha, chopped

This recipe needs to be started the night before to allow for adequate freezing time.

Makes 12 pop sticks, or about 1 litre.

Instructions

1. Place the milk and cream in a saucepan over medium heat until hot but not boiling.
2. Place the sugar in a wide, heavy – based saucepan over medium heat. Cook, tilting the pan regularly until the sugar dissolves and becomes a dark caramel. Reduce the heat to low and gradually add the milk mixture (careful, it will bubble furiously!). Stir to make sure all the caramel has melted.
3. Whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl until pale. Whisking continuously, gradually pour in the hot caramel-milk mixture. Pour into a clean saucepan and stir over medium heat until thickened enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat.
4. Tear the piece of toasted bread into the hot caramel custard. Add the vanilla and sea salt. Using a stick blender, blend until very smooth. Pour into a bowl placed over another larger bowl of iced water and stand until cold, whisking occasionally.
5. Pour the cooled custard into ice-cream moulds or churn in an ice–cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions. Freeze overnight or until firm.  
6. For the toasted breadcrumbs, melt the butter in a heavy–based frying pan over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and stir until golden and crunchy. You can't rush this step or they will be toasted, but a soft texture is the key here. Add the sugar, stir to coat and remove from the heat. Transfer to a baking paper–lined tray to cool.
7. For the coating, melt the chocolate and copha in a bowl placed over a pan of simmering water. Remove from the heat and stand until cool (around 30ºC if you have a thermometer). Remove your ice creams from the moulds and lightly dip them in the chocolate mix before quickly sprinkling with the breadcrumb. Return them to the freezer as quickly as possible. Store with a lid to keep the breadcrumb crunch and serve within 2 days.

 

Photography by Danielle Abou Karam.

Want more from The Cook Up?

• Stream free here at SBS On Demand.

• Get the show recipes, articles and more here.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

You could follow this whole recipe or just pick and choose. The brown bread toffee ice cream is amazing. The crispy chocolate shell is “magic” and the sweet breadcrumb concept lends itself well to a makeshift crumble or ice cream topper, especially when made with old raisin bread or brioche.