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French toast ice cream scoop
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French Toast Ice Cream

This French toast ice cream tastes just like the real thing! Infused with cinnamon French toast & full of brown butter & maple brioche pieces, this is a next level flavour!
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time15 minutes
Churning Time30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, French
Servings: 6 People
Author: Ben Racey

Equipment

  • Ice Cream Machine
  • Stick Blender
  • Digital Food Probe
  • Large Saucepan
  • Small Saucepan
  • Mixing Bowl
  • Sieve
  • Baking Tray
  • 1 Litre Tub

Ingredients

French Toast Infused Cream

  • 300 g Double Cream Plus Extra If Needed, See Notes
  • 4 Slices Brioche 1½ cm Thick
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • 100 g Whole Milk
  • 1 tbsp Caster Sugar
  • 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • ¼ tsp Maldon Salt
  • Vegetable Oil For Frying

Ice Cream

  • 420 g Whole Milk
  • 130 g Light Brown Sugar
  • 40 g Glucose Syrup
  • 25 g Whole Milk Powder
  • 2 tsp Vanilla Paste Or Half A Pod
  • ¼ tsp Maldon Salt
  • 85 g Egg Yolks

Brown Butter Brioche Pieces

  • 25 g Unsalted Butter
  • 2 Slices Brioche 1½ cm Thick
  • 15 g Caster Sugar
  • Pinch Maldon Salt
  • 1 tbsp Maple Syrup

Instructions

French Toast Infused Cream

  • In a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, 1 tsp of cinnamon, vanilla & salt.
  • Place a large frying pan over a medium heat & add in a tablespoon of veg oil.
  • Next, dip a slice of brioche into the egg mix & leave to soak for 30 seconds - 1 minute on each side. The bread should be well soaked but not falling apart!
  • Quickly transfer the soaked brioche into the frying pan & cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. The French toast should be golden brown & crisp all over.
  • Repeat with the remaining brioche slices then set the French toast aside.
    Depending on the size of your frying pan, you might be able to cook several pieces of bread at the same time. Make sure to add more veg oil to the pan if needed.
  • Next, add the double cream & 1 tsp of cinnamon into a medium sized saucepan, whisk together then place over a low heat until steaming hot.
    Whilst the cream is heating up, roughly chop the French toast.
  • Once the cream is hot, remove it from the heat & stir in the pieces of French toast. Cover with a lid & leave to steep for at least an hour.

Ice Cream

  • Pass the French toast flavoured cream into a jug, through a sieve, squeezing as much liquid out of the bread as possible.
  • Next, place a medium saucepan onto a set of scales & pour in the infused cream. If necessary, top up with double cream so there's 250 grams of cream in total.
  • To the cream, add the milk, ½ the light brown sugar, glucose, vanilla & salt.
    If you're using a vanilla bean, scrape out the seeds & add in both the seeds & pod.
  • Whisk to combine then place over a low heat.
  • In the meantime, whisk together the egg yolks & remaining sugar in a large mixing bowl.
  • When the milk is steaming (don't let it boil!), pour a third into the yolks, whisking as you do so.
    This is called tempering the yolks.
  • Pour the now tempered yolks back into the saucepan then cook over a low heat until the custard reaches 82°c, making sure to stir constantly with a rubber spatula.
  • Remove from the heat, remove the vanilla pod (if using) then give the custard a quick blitz with a stick blender.
  • Pass into a bowl, through a sieve & leave to cool, stirring occasionally.
  • Once cool, place a piece of baking paper onto the custard’s surface & refrigerate overnight.

Brown Butter Brioche Pieces

  • Preheat an oven to 180°c/160°c fan (355°f/320°f).
  • Place the butter into a small saucepan then cook over a medium heat until brown. Transfer the brown butter to a bowl & leave to cool slightly.
  • Next, chop the brioche into 1 cm wide pieces & add into a mixing bowl.
    Sprinkle over the sugar & salt then pour in the brown butter & maple syrup.
  • Stir together, so that all the brioche is coated in butter then transfer to a baking tray.
    Cook for 5-10 minutes or until the brioche pieces are crispy & a deep golden brown.
  • Leave to cool completely then chop the bread up so there's a mix of small & larger pieces. If you're making these in advance, store in an airtight container.

Churning

  • The next day, pour the chilled custard into an ice cream machine & churn until it is the consistency of soft serve. If you take the temperature with a digital food probe, it will register roughly -5°c/23°f.
  • Once churned, stir in the brioche pieces then transfer the ice cream into a 1 litre tub.
  • Leave to set in the freezer for at least 4 hours before serving.

Notes

To cook the French toast on an Aga, use the boiling plate. Cook the custard on the simmering plate & bake the brioche pieces in the centre of the baking oven.
Homemade ice cream will keep in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
I would recommend using Nestle’s whole milk powder.