Y’all.
I discovered THE COOLEST thing today.
Flour + Ice Cream = Bread
I know. I know! I had no idea either. I’m just as gobsmacked as you are.
And that math problem makes bread bread, not just some unrecognizable baked good. I have the culinary wizards of Southern Living test kitchens to vouch for my equation!
Last night, I was flipping through one of the world’s greatest cookbooks, Southern Living’s 1001 Ways to Cook Southern (which I most definitely worked on! Whoo!), and I stumbled across the strangest little recipe.
Ingredients:
1 pt. (2 cups) ice cream, softened
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together ice cream and flour, stirring just until flour is moistened. Spoon batter into a greased and floured 8- x 4-inch loaf pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of bread comes out clean. Remove from pan, and cool on a wire rack.
Wait, what? Two cups of ice cream and some self-rising flour? Count me in, holmes.
Side Note: My kitchen is well-stocked, but not so much that I owned self-rising flour. Just in case you find yourself in a pinch and desperately need ice-cream bread, you can substitute all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Again, the gurus of Southern Living give the inside scoop here.
The recipe’s note recommended trying butter pecan ice cream, so I scoured the freezer section during my next grocery run. I was planning to only buy a pint, but, apparently, a “pint” of ice cream these days is only 14 oz, not the 16 oz that actually make up a pint. Therefore, I’d have to buy two pints, costing about $10 total. So, I made the wise decision and bought the half gallon for $4. It really just makes economical sense, right?
The butter-pecan bread turned out pretty nicely. I only have a standard-sized loaf pan, which is larger, so my loaf came out a little flatter. The pecans are a nice touch, and the bread isn’t very sweet. Honestly, it’s not the most fantastic bread ever, but it would be delicious warmed with a bit of butter or some other spread. It’s hard to mess up ice-cream bread, folks.
The recipe also recommends only using full-fat ice cream. Y’all. We’re making bread out of ice cream. Clearly, this isn’t a health food product. Just get the fat stuff and enjoy some carbo-loading, eh?
My husband deemed the bread tasty, then proceeded to ponder other ice-cream-flavor options. What would happen if we tried mint chocolate chip? It’s a brave new world, folks.
So, next time you need that extra side dish but can’t run to the store, check your freezer! I mean, is it even American not to have ice cream in your freezer?
Currently Reading:
Taste and See by Margaret Feinberg – So, this ice-cream-bread thing worked out well, as my current ladies’ Bible study is reading through this food-laden book. This week’s theme? Bread. So, I guess I’ll need to take my ice-cream bread so witnesses can attest that it’s a real thing. I’m a bit behind on the reading, but I find Mrs. Feinberg’s writing very accessible and interesting. She’s a major foodie and suggests that God is too. She brings in examples from the Bible to support the importance and meaning of food in our lives as Christians.