Ice Cream and Flour = Bread!

Really?
Yes Really?
After finding this on a student deals website,

(http://www.studentbeans.com/student-money/a/ice-cream-flour-bread-honestly4291.html)  

I just had to try this for myself!

For someone who has always loved making her own bread by hand, this seemed like a challenge. At the time I had just made a loaf of bread and was waiting for that to prove for it's first round. I decided I wanted to try this new recipe, but thats when catastrophe strook! I only had one mixing bowl and that was in use! That and I only had bits of ice cream left in numerous tubs, and for my first go I didn't feel like mixing them all in one!
So that equated in a small shopping trip. We picked up Walls Soft Scoop Vanilla ice cream, wanting to start with a more simple taste to start with, that and it was cheaper, so as the stingy student I am, I wouldn't have to pay out loads for something I didn't like. I want to try a Mint Choc Chip version as well as a Ben&Jerry Cookie Dough one...my favourite ice creams turned bread!

We deviated a bit away from the exact measurements because the recipe was not in metric. We took just over a quarter of the ice cream out from the tub, which was easy because the ice cream was soft scoop. We plunked it into the mixing bowl we went and brought earlier and then added the flour. Now what I did was get a measuring jug and fill it up to the conversion rate of the said amount in the recipe above. I packed it down to get it more accurate, but it was all sort of guess work.

Lesson: Never be afraid to mess around with the recipe, the numbers are really a guidance, experiment a little and see what you prefer best. Plus take your own spin on things - thats the fun of cooking!

When I mixed in the flour, it created a very weird mixture, in some ways it was like the frozen space food you can buy. It was quite amusing to feel the coldness of the ice cream emanating from the bowl. I kept mixing until the flour was mixed in as it says on the website but continued a bit longer as to ensure it was a bit more creamy and therefore more manageable.

I then greased a quite large loaf tin, I think I could of used a smaller one for my loaf, but just make the most of what you have. The next bit was amusing as I had to transfer the mixture into the tin, I ended up with almost numb fingers. I found the spreading of the mixture in the tin quite difficult, so I may try with less flour next time.

I then popped the loaf in my oven for about 25 minutes on about 180c, as I have found through making bread my oven temperature does not always coincide with recipes. I did leave it on for an extra 5 minutes to ensure that it was cooked through. However, I was not sure how to tell whether it was fully cooked on not, so I just checked whether it was hollow or not by tapping the bottom, like on do on normal bread.

I do not know what I was expecting when I first tasted, I cut it in half to look at the inside and it looks a very smooth texture whereas the top texture is crisp and bumpy. I found that the the whole bread is very crumbly and breaks apart easily as well.

All in all I found the bread a pleasant surprise, I keep going back and having more because there is something weird but good about it that I just can't put my finger on.  

It's a rather sweet bread, Andrew (my boyfriend) is enjoying smothering it with Nutella (yuk!) But however I am finding it enjoyable by it's self. I am not sure whether just putting butter on the bread would suit it, maybe jam would be good, or you could always get some strawberry, toffee, maple, chocolate etc, sauce on it and cover it with sprinkles for those days when you want an ice cream but it is just too cold. It's refreshing vanilla taste is cool, it sort of crumbles and melts in your mouth at the same time. The crust is delightful as well. Andrew says it's quite similar to scones.. but not :)

Now I need to stop eating all this yummy food!
Hope you guys all try your own versions, and tell me how it goes!

Laura :)