What is the bean in vanilla bean ice cream?

Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan set over medium-high heat, and bring it just to a boil. Add the vanilla, remove from the heat, and let sit in the saucepan at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Heat the yolk/milk mixture (custard) over low heat, stirring with a heatproof spatula until it thickens somewhat; it'll be approaching the thickness of heavy cream and will register between 170°F and 180°F on a digital thermometer.

Perfect your technique

Blog

Strawberries and Balsamic à la Mode

By Amy Trage

Tips from our Bakers

• For a sweeter, more American-style ice cream, increase the sugar to 2/3 cup (132g).

• For fun twists on this fabulous ice cream base, mix in any of the following inclusions once your ice cream is frozen: 1 prepared batch of our frosted lemon cookie mix (unfrosted cookies chopped into 1/2" to 3/4" chunks and mixed in separately from the frosting); 1/2 prepared batch of our fabulous fudge brownie mix (prepared with or without nuts and cut into 1/2" to 3/4" chunks) along with 3/4 cup (7 1/2 ounces) caramel sauce; or 1 cup each of milk chocolate chunks and large coconut flakes .

• Bake it better! Watch King Arthur baker/blogger Kye Ameden demonstrate one of the techniques from this recipe: How to Make Ice Cream Without an Ice Cream Machine

  Place yolks, sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Using electric beaters, beat for about 3 minutes until thick and pale. Gradually beat in cream mixture, then place in a clean pan over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 10 minutes or until you have a custard thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.

• 3.

  Pour into a bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin forming. Leave to cool for about 1 hour, then chill for at least 2 hours in the fridge.

• 4.

  Pour mixture into a shallow container and freeze for 2 hours or until frozen at edges. Remove and beat with electric beaters. Return to container and refreeze. Repeat 2 or 3 times. Alternatively, churn in an ice-cream machine to manufacturer's instructions until thick but soft enough to spoon into a container. Transfer to a 1L plastic container. Freeze for at least 3 hours or until firm enough to scoop.

  Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Recipe

  Written by Becky

  Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream is the essence of Summer. Making vanilla ice cream from scratch is simple and once you have the recipe down the creations you make with it are endless – try Cherry Pie Ice Cream, mix in ground nuts for pistachio or hazelnut ice cream, or swirl in some whiskey caramel sauce for a real treat!

  

  We like to bookend our Summer with homemade ice cream.  And really every weekend in between.  This Summer I’ve been really stuck on this Vanilla Bean version.  It’s just so good, I haven’t made chocolate ice cream all season.  I alter this recipe only slightly, adding caramel suace, a drizzle of chocolate, a spoonful of peanut butter or mix in cherry jam and graham crackers for this cherry pie version.  But really, the vanilla bean ice cream, all by itself, is where its at!

  

  About the Recipe:

  • For this recipe you make a custard in a saucepan.  You must be careful not to scramble the eggs so you must not bring the custard to a boil once the egg yolks are added and make sure to stir stir stir.

  • For the vanilla beans, slice a slit down the center lengthwise and then use a dull knife or a spoon to scoop out the seeds. I put the whole bean pod into the milk mixture as it cooks then remove it before churning.

  • I always pour the custard through a mesh strainer into a new bowl and refrigerate for an hour or so before churning. The strainer will prevent any small clumps from getting into the ice cream.

  • You can find vanilla beans at most grocery stores or find them cheaper online. You can also sub pure vanilla extract but I will say it is so much better with the vanilla beans.

  • I have this ice cream maker and love it!  It does all the hard work for me.

  • I scoop the ice cream out into freezer safe containers to set for 1-2 hours in the freezer before eating.  The ice cream will last in the freezer for a few weeks.

  
  

  Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

  Not much compares to Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

  5 from 3 votes

  Print Recipe Pin Recipe

  Prep Time 20 mins

  Cook Time 20 mins

  Total Time 40 mins

  Course Dessert

  Cuisine American

  Servings 8

  Ingredients  1x2x3x (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 2 vanilla beans*
  • 5 large egg yolks

  Instructions 

  • Get out a large bowl and a mesh strainer and set aside.

  • In a medium sauce pan, bring the milk, cream, 1/2 of the sugar (1/2 cup), and salt to a boil (keep a close eye on it so it doesn't boil over).

  • In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar.

  • Once the milk is boiling, lower the heat to medium low and add in the vanilla bean seeds or extract. Use a measuring cup to transfer 1/4 cup of the hot milk to the egg yolks and whisk to combine. Do this one more time (tempering the eggs and bringing them to a warm temperature) then add in all of the egg yolk mixture into the sauce pan. Stir constantly for about 5 minutes, scraping the sides and bottom of the pan to prevent sticking. The custard should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon when it's ready. Do not allow the custard to boil.

  • Pour the custard into the prepared strainer set over a large bowl. Cover the top of the custard with plastic wrap (literally on top of the liquid to prevent a skin from forming). Set the custard in the fridge to cool for 1 hour. 

  • Once custard is cool, pour into a ice cream maker and churn according to the manufactuer directions (usually about 25 minutes). Transfer the ice cream to an air tight, freezer safe container and place in the freezer.  Freeze for 2-4 hours before serving. 

  Notes

  You can also use 1 vanilla bean + 1 tablespoon of vanilla or 2 tablespoons of vanilla instead of vanilla beans. 

  Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

   

  Equipment I use for this recipe:

  
  
  

  Similar Recipes:

  Cherry Pie Ice Cream

  Butterscotch Peach Ice Cream Sandwiches

  Cashew Maple Ice Cream (dairy-free and vegan)

  Pistachio Frozen Yogurt

  

  Posted in

  Dessert, Gluten Free, Summer, Unprocessed, Vegetarian

  Add To

  • StumbleUpon
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest

  Comments (5)

  1. Rocky Mountain Woman on September 13, 2017 at 2:45 pm said:

     

     
     I need to try this soon!

     Reply ↓

  2. Sunaina on September 15, 2017 at 4:32 am said:

     hey Becky…! i love ice cream.. and your homemade vanilla bean ice cream looks so yummy i will make it this weekend. Thanks for the sharing and keep shared your amazing recipes and ideas….!

     What is vanilla bean ice cream made of?

     We are talking ultra simple ingredients - heavy cream, whole milk, sugar, vanilla beans, and sometimes even egg yolks. That's it. There's no fillers or extras added. It's how ice cream should be made.

     What is the bean in vanilla bean?

     Vanillin is the source of the floral flavor that we know as vanilla. Interestingly, most of the world's vanilla comes from Madagascar. What we call vanilla "beans" are actually the pods from a vanilla plant that contain tiny seeds inside them. Vanilla bean is also a flavor.

     Does vanilla bean ice cream have beans in it?

     Actual beans are used in vanilla bean ice cream, while only liquid extract is used in the regular version. Vanilla bean is easy to spot since you can visibly see small black grains throughout the product.

     What is the black stuff in vanilla bean ice cream?

     What exactly are vanilla bean seeds or specks? They are just what they sound like, tiny black seeds that line the inside of a vanilla bean. When flavor houses extract vanilla beans to make vanilla extract, the goal is to extract all possible flavor from the bean, including its seeds.