Soft-serve Ice Cream Recipe

Time6h

Serves6

Make Soft-serve Ice Cream Recipe in just 6h . Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.

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Ingredients

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1
Warm the milk and cream
In a medium saucepan combine whole milk, heavy cream, granulated sugar, and liquid glucose (if using). Split the vanilla bean, scrape the seeds into the pan and add the pod; if using extract, add later. Warm over medium heat until mixture is hot and just begins to steam — about 170°F (do not boil). Stir occasionally to dissolve sugar.
2
Temper the yolks
While the milk warms, whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until smooth. Slowly ladle about 1/3 cup of the hot milk mixture into the yolks while whisking constantly to temper them, then repeat with another 1/3 cup until yolks are warmed.
3
Cook the custard
Return the tempered yolk mixture to the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon, scraping the bottom. Cook until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon and reaches 170–175°F (use an instant-read thermometer) — do not boil or scramble the eggs.
4
Finish and strain
Remove from heat. If you used a vanilla pod, remove and discard the pod. Stir in salt and vanilla extract if not using a pod. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any cooked bits for an ultrasmooth texture.

5
Cool the custard quickly
Place the bowl with the strained custard into the prepared ice bath (cold water and ice) and stir occasionally to cool. Once it registers below 40°F (or is chilled to refrigerator temperature), cover tightly with plastic wrap (pressing the wrap onto the surface to prevent a skin) and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight. Chilling improves texture.
6
Churn or dispense as soft-serve
If you have a soft-serve machine: pour the well-chilled custard into the machine's hopper and follow manufacturer instructions to produce soft-serve. If you don't have a machine but want a soft-serve–like texture: transfer the chilled custard to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk and whisk on medium-high for 2–3 minutes to incorporate air, then immediately transfer to a piping bag or a plastic squeeze bottle and pipe into cones; alternatively, freeze the custard in a shallow metal pan until edges begin to set, then beat with a fork or hand mixer to break crystals and whip, repeating every 20–30 minutes until soft-serve consistency is reached.
7
Serve
Serve immediately for true soft-serve texture, garnishing as desired (sprinkles, chocolate sauce, etc.). If you hold the product, keep it in the machine or a chilled container at about 18–20°F for soft-serve style service; note that texture will firm as it gets colder.