Ice Cream Bread

Hard to believe, isn’t it!? All that’s needed to make this sweet and delicious bread are two ingredients: self-rising flour and ice cream.

Self-rising Flour

Self-rising flour is the key ingredient to any quick bread. It differs from regular flour in that it contains salt and baking powder (a leavening agent). The salt and baking powder in self-rising flour is distributed evenly throughout which makes for perfect bread, just about every time you bake with it.

Don’t skimp on the ice cream. It’s important to use regular ice cream. Do not substitute the ice cream for frozen yogurt, low-sugar, or low-fat ice cream. The fat and sugar in the ice cream are essential to get the perfect outcome for this bread recipe.

The flavor of this bread comes from the ice cream and there are so many varieties of ice cream out there to choose from! Get creative with the recipe. The beauty of ice cream bread is the creative liberties you can take when making your own. Ice cream flavors with chunks of fruit and nuts make great options. Baked into the bread, the chunks make for a delicious bite.

When deciding on which ice cream flavor to use, consider how you plan on serving the bread. Will it be for breakfast with a little butter and jam on it or will it be served for dessert with some fresh fruit, ice cream, and whipped cream? There are so many serving options, it’s virtually impossible to wrong.

Some of the favorite ice cream flavors we’ve tried for bread on the farm are:

Punch Line by Ben and Jerry’s

“A Comedic Duo of Brown Butter Bourbon and Almond Ice Creams with Roasted Almonds and Chuckles of Cherries.”

The combination of almond and cherry flavor in this ice cream is perfect and once the bread is baked, the chunks of cherries found throughout are a wonderfully delicious surprise! The flavor and texture of this bread are reminiscent of a biscuit, but it’s sweeter. This is our family’s favorite version.

Enjoy this version sliced and toasted in the morning with a little butter or jam on it. Even better, slice and serve it with fresh-cut strawberries on top and a dollop of vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream. It makes the perfect Summer dessert!

Pralines ‘N Cream by Baskin Robbins

“Taste some South in your mouth! Sweet praline-coated pecan pieces and rich caramel in creamy vanilla-flavored ice cream. Y’all will love it!”

It doesn’t get much more Southern than pralines and peaches. Pralines ‘N Cream ice cream bread served with perfectly ripe, sweet, juicy sliced peaches will make you feel like you’ve been transported to the South. When accompanied with some creamy vanilla ice cream or fresh homemade whipped cream on top, you will think you have died and gone to heaven. Whether it’s eaten for breakfast or dessert, this version is sure to be a huge hit!

Rum Raisin by Haagen-Dazs

“Plump and delicious rum-soaked California raisins mixed into sweetened cream adds just the right amount of warmth to this cool treat.”

There is something amazing about the combination of raisins and apples. Apple butter or apple compote with this version of rum raisin ice cream bread is decadent. The pairing of raisins with lightly spiced apples is a match made in heaven! This makes an outstanding sweet treat for breakfast or dessert, especially in the Fall.

Enhance simple vanilla, strawberry, or chocolate ice cream bases by adding nuts, fruit, and chips or chunks to create your own ice cream bread. Here are some suggestions for additions:

Nuts: almonds, walnuts, or pralines

Fruit: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, shredded coconut, dried cranberries, or dried apricots

Chips or Chunks: semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, toffee chips, or white chocolate chips

Sprinkles: Colored sprinkles are always a fun addition! Add sprinkles on top of the ice cream bread before it bakes for a pop of color. Rainbow sprinkles are perfect for any occasion, especially birthdays while red, white, and blue sprinkles are great for patriotic holidays. Decorate Valentine’s bread with red and pink sprinkles. Red and green sprinkles are perfect for Christmas.

Looking for more delicious and easy sweet treat recipes? You might enjoy these:

Peach Cobbler with Bourbon Cream

Baked Apple Roses

Harvest Pear Crumble

Italian Cream Cake