Soft-serve Ice Cream Recipe

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.