Irish Brown Bread Ice Cream with Butterscotch Sauce

Incorporating a Dingle staple—Irish brown bread—and a rich butterscotch topping, this ice cream has the comforting flavors of honey-drizzled toast in each bite.

Yield: makes 6 cups

Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes

For the Irish brown bread

Unsalted butter, for greasing
³⁄₄ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
1 tsp. baking soda
³⁄₄ tsp. kosher salt
³⁄₄ cup plus 2 Tbsp. whole-wheat flour
¹⁄₄ cup plus 2 Tbsp. wheat bran
¹⁄₄ cup wheat germ
¹⁄₄ cup steel-cut oats
1 tbsp. dark brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 ¹⁄₂ tsp. sunflower or vegetable oil

For the ice cream and butterscotch

1 cup whole milk
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
¹⁄₂ cup plus 1 Tbsp. sugar
4 large egg yolks
2 cups plus 2 Tbsp. heavy cream
¹⁄₄ cup plus 1 Tbsp. packed dark brown sugar
5 cups finely crumbled Irish brown bread, preferably 1–2 days old
1 ¹⁄₄ cups heavy cream
1 cup dark brown sugar
¹⁄₄ cup salted butter
1 tsp. kosher salt
¹⁄₂ tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the bread: Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x5-inch loaf pan with butter, and dust lightly with flour. Set aside.
In a large bowl, sift the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the whole wheat flour, wheat bran, wheat germ, 2 tablespoons oats, and the brown sugar; stir to combine, then form a well in the center. Pour the buttermilk and oil into the well, then mix to form a wet dough (do not overmix).
Transfer the dough to the pan. Sprinkle the top with the remaining oats, and bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let the bread cool 5 minutes, then remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Make the ice cream: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the milk and vanilla bean. Bring the milk to a simmer, then remove from the heat. Stir for about 1 minute, then remove and discard the vanilla bean.
In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar and egg yolks until thickened and pale yellow. Slowly stream in the warm milk, whisking constantly, until just combined (do not overmix).
Return the mixture to the saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard is just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 25-30 minutes. Remove and let cool. Stir in the cream.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the brown sugar and 1 tablespoon water until the sugar crystals have dissolved, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the 5 cups bread crumbs and turn off the heat; let cool. (Save any remaining bread for another use.)
Pour the custard base into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's directions. Once almost fully thickened (about 40 minutes), add the prepared bread. Remove; freeze in a covered container until ready to serve.
Make the butterscotch: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the cream, sugar, butter, and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth, 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Serve the butterscotch sauce warm atop the ice cream, with whipped cream, if using.

Leonardo Vignoli and Maria Pia Cicconi