No Churn Vanilla (Bean) Bread Pan “Slice-Cream”

Last time I was on here, I was soaking up all the leftover sunshine that carried into Autumn. As of now, I’m inside with a scarf, watching the rain fall. And while it’s cool and refreshing, well, so is ice-cream… To be honest, I was originally going to post a warm sweet bread recipe for Fall, but much like Vancouver’s unwillingness to let go of Summer this year, I’m still not ready to let go of the cold desserts that go with it. And so, my plans changed, but my bread pan stayed, only it went into the freezer instead of the oven.

Here, I’m going to share you, my Vanilla (Bean) bread pan “slice-cream” recipe, and one of the best parts about it, is that it requires no churning. I first discovered this method from my mother who always used a bread pan for her homemade ice-cream. I’ll never forget waiting for the end result, in which she would use her traditional, old fashioned ice-cream scoop to scrape out heaps of sweet, frozen patience. However, upon experimenting with this recipe over the years, I found in this particular method, I actually prefer to slice the ice-cream like a cake or bread. Why? It’s just easier and much more fun to eat that way.

Ingredients:

. 1 cup (or can) sweetened condensed milk (cold)

. 1.5 tsp vanilla extract (or 2 tsp if not using vanilla beans)

. 1 - 2 vanilla beans

.1/4 tsp sea-salt (or regular salt)

. 2 cups heavy cream (or whipping cream)

. Mixins and/or toppings of choice (optional)

Directions:

Place sweetened condensed milk in the fridge for at least 4 hours (or overnight). Chill small and medium metal bowls and bread pan in the freezer for the same amount of time. If you can wait, I highly recommend chilling everything overnight.

Once everything is chilled, whisk cold condensed milk in a small bowl with vanilla extract. I used organic coconut condensed milk to add some extra flavour, but it really doesn’t matter which kind you use, as long as it’s sweetened. Also, be sure to mix well, but do NOT over-mix, especially if using coconut condensed milk, as this will cause separation, which result in a “gritty” and/or “chalky” texture.

If using vanilla beans, slice two pods down the middle and scrape seeds into the mixture. I used Villa Vanilla paplanta vanilla beans, imported from Mexico, which you can find at any Choices store. Sometimes I even add the seeds to my coffee grounds for extra flavour. Fair warning though, these are expensive, but I believe they are worth every penny for the flavour they bring. However, it’s not the end of the world if you don’t use them in this recipe. Instead, you can just add a little more vanilla extract.

If you used vanilla beans, save pods for decoration (optional) or simply compost.

Next, stir in salt, then set bowl aside. I prefer to use sea-salt, as I find it brings out the flavours better in the ice-cream, but regular salt will work just fine.

Remove medium bowl from freezer and whisk heavy cream with an electric mixture until soft peaks form (about 5 mins). Start out on a low speed and gradually increase speed as the cream thickens. Again, do NOT overmix, otherwise you’ll end up with butter instead of ice-cream, as the consistency changes. This will also result in a waxy taste.

Once cream goes from whisked to whipped, gradually fold in condensed milk mixture until just combined, then put mixer on low speed for just a few seconds to allow it to bind together. AGAIN, do NOT over mix.

Fold in any additional mixins desired (optional). I added some toasted coconut for some extra flavour and texture, so my mixture will be a little gritty because of that. The mixture on it’s own (without any mixins) should not be gritty though.

Pour entire mixture into frozen bread pan and cover with wrap of choice. I used an Abeego beeswax wrap, because they’re life changing, but that’s a story for another time.

Place into freezer for a minimum of 8 hours (or overnight).

Once ready, remove from freezer and add vanilla bean pods on top for decoration (optional).

Slice (or scoop) and serve with desired toppings (also optional).

I find this frozen dessert pairs really well with a cup of Nespresso, but the choices are pretty much endless.

Which mixins and/or toppings would you add to this recipe and what kind of drink would you pair it with? Let me know in the comment section below or on Instagram @haveyour.c.a.k.e

Hope you all enjoy!