Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Recipe

Ingredients

325 g	plus 50 g whole milk, divided
1	vanilla bean, split and cut crosswise into 3 pieces
110 g	sugar
80 g	nonfat dry milk powder
0.8 g	kosher salt
355 g	heavy cream
85 g	corn syrup
15 g	cornstarch

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vanilla bean: At the Penn State Ice Cream Short Course, we learned that there is nothing plain or boring about vanilla. We sampled single origin extracts made from beans grown in Madagascar, Mexico, Indonesia, and Tahiti, and each had its own unique aroma and flavor. The Tahitian extract reminded us of cherries, while the one from Madagascar tasted like warm baking spices. In this recipe we blend a whole bean with the milk in order to extract as much flavor as possible from the pod itself (which we then strain out after cooking the base).

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nonfat dry milk powder: Nonfat dry milk powder supplies protein and lactose without added water. The protein helps prevent large ice crystals by binding up water. Lactose is only about 20 percent as sweet as sucrose (granulated sugar), but it depresses the freezing point to the same degree. By using a substantial amount of nonfat dry milk powder, we can make a smooth, creamy, scoopable ice cream without making it too sweet.

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heavy cream: Cream is our primary source of fat. This is a 14 percent fat ice cream mix, one of the most popular formulations for premium commercial ice cream.

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corn syrup: Corn syrup is about 30 percent as sweet as granulated sugar. It contains fragments of starch chains that increase the viscosity of the mix and help prevent ice crystals from growing larger and coarser during hardening and storage.

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cornstarch: Cornstarch binds up water, effectively decreasing the amount of freezable water in the mix. It also acts as a stabilizer, helping to slow the rate of ice crystal growth during hardening and storage.

Fellow Penn State Ice Cream Short Course-alum Jeni Britton Bauer uses cornstarch (and cream cheese) to great effect in her ice cream base recipe in Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream’s At Home (2011).

1¼ cups plus ¼ cup whole milk, divided

1 vanilla bean, split and cut crosswise into 3 pieces

½ cup plus ⅓ cup nonfat dry milk powder

½ cup (3½ ounces) sugar

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1½ cups heavy cream

¼ cup corn syrup

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Hide Annotation

vanilla bean: At the Penn State Ice Cream Short Course, we learned that there is nothing plain or boring about vanilla. We sampled single origin extracts made from beans grown in Madagascar, Mexico, Indonesia, and Tahiti, and each had its own unique aroma and flavor. The Tahitian extract reminded us of cherries, while the one from Madagascar tasted like warm baking spices. In this recipe we blend a whole bean with the milk in order to extract as much flavor as possible from the pod itself (which we then strain out after cooking the base).

Hide Annotation

nonfat dry milk powder: Nonfat dry milk powder supplies protein and lactose without added water. The protein helps prevent large ice crystals by binding up water. Lactose is only about 20 percent as sweet as sucrose (granulated sugar), but it depresses the freezing point to the same degree. By using a substantial amount of nonfat dry milk powder, we can make a smooth, creamy, scoopable ice cream without making it too sweet.

Hide Annotation

heavy cream: Cream is our primary source of fat. This is a 14 percent fat ice cream mix, one of the most popular formulations for premium commercial ice cream.

Hide Annotation

corn syrup: Corn syrup is about 30 percent as sweet as granulated sugar. It contains fragments of starch chains that increase the viscosity of the mix and help prevent ice crystals from growing larger and coarser during hardening and storage.

Hide Annotation

cornstarch: Cornstarch binds up water, effectively decreasing the amount of freezable water in the mix. It also acts as a stabilizer, helping to slow the rate of ice crystal growth during hardening and storage.

Fellow Penn State Ice Cream Short Course-alum Jeni Britton Bauer uses cornstarch (and cream cheese) to great effect in her ice cream base recipe in Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream’s At Home (2011).

Essential Equipment

Instructions

- 325 g whole milk
- 1 vanilla bean, split and cut crosswise into 3 pieces
- 110 g sugar
- 80 g nonfat dry milk powder
- 0.8 g kosher salt
- 355 g heavy cream
- 85 g corn syrup
Place milk and vanilla bean in blender and process on high speed for 1 minute. In small bowl, whisk together sugar, milk powder, and salt. Whisk vanilla milk (do not strain), sugar mixture, cream, and corn syrup together in large saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until tiny bubbles form around edge of saucepan and mixture registers 190 degrees F/87.8 degrees C, whisking frequently to dissolve sugar and break up any clumps, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- 50 g whole milk
- 15 g cornstarch
Meanwhile, whisk remaining milk and cornstarch together in small bowl.
Reduce heat to medium. Whisk cornstarch mixture to recombine, then whisk into milk mixture in saucepan. Cook, constantly scraping bottom of saucepan with rubber spatula, until mixture thickens, about 30 seconds. Immediately pour ice cream base through fine-mesh strainer into large bowl; let cool until no longer steaming, about 20 minutes. Cover bowl, transfer to refrigerator, and chill to 40 degrees F/ 4.4 degrees C, at least 6 or up to 8 hours. (Base can be chilled overnight. Alternatively, base can be chilled in about 90 minutes by placing it over ice bath of 750 grams ice, 113 grams water, and 42 grams salt.)
Churn base in ice cream maker until mixture resembles thick soft-serve ice cream and registers 21 degrees F/-6.1 degrees C. Transfer to airtight container, cover, transfer to freezer, and freeze until hard, at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.

Instructions

Cook's Note: If using a canister-style ice cream maker, be sure to freeze the empty canister for at least 24 hours and preferably for 48 hours before churning. For self-refrigerating ice cream makers, prechill the canister by running the machine for 5 to 10 minutes before pouring in the custard. We prefer Carnation Instant Nonfat Dry Milk for this recipe. Some ice cream base may stick to the bottom of the saucepan when pouring it into the bowl in step 3; simply scrape it into the bowl with the rest of the base and whisk until smooth. This ice cream can be stored for five days with little loss of quality. We’ve tested this recipe using both gram measurements and traditional U.S. volume and weight measurements so you get to pick the one that works best for you.

Editor’s Note: We develop our recipes using gram measurements in order to be as precise as possible and then convert to U.S. volume and weight measurements for our readers’ convenience. There are times, such as with nonfat dry milk powder and cornstarch here, that we will call for combining two volume measurements to achieve the correct gram measurement.

- 1¼ cups whole milk
- 1 vanilla bean, split and cut crosswise into 3 pieces
- ½ cup plus ⅓ cup nonfat dry milk powder
- ½ cup (3½ ounces) sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- ¼ cup corn syrup
Place milk and vanilla bean in blender and process on high speed for 1 minute. In small bowl, whisk together milk powder, sugar, and salt. Whisk vanilla milk (do not strain), sugar mixture, cream, and corn syrup together in large saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until tiny bubbles form around edge of saucepan and mixture registers 190 degrees F/87.8 degrees C, whisking frequently to dissolve sugar and break up any clumps, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Meanwhile, whisk remaining milk and cornstarch together in small bowl.
Reduce heat to medium. Whisk cornstarch mixture to recombine, then whisk into milk mixture in saucepan. Cook, constantly scraping bottom of saucepan with rubber spatula, until mixture thickens, about 30 seconds. Immediately pour ice cream base through fine-mesh strainer into large bowl; let cool until no longer steaming, about 20 minutes. Cover bowl, transfer to refrigerator, and chill to 40 degrees F/ 4.4 degrees C, at least 6 or up to 8 hours. (Base can be chilled overnight. Alternatively, base can be chilled in about 90 minutes by placing it over ice bath of 6 cups ice, ½ cup water, and ⅓ cup salt.)
Churn base in ice cream maker until mixture resembles thick soft-serve ice cream and registers 21 degrees F/-6.1 degrees C. Transfer to airtight container, cover, transfer to freezer, and freeze until hard, at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.