Craftwytch Ice Cream

I use two different base recipes for ice cream. The first is a simple base with xanthan gum as the stabilizer.

This very simple ice cream base has served me well, and I continue to use it today along with a simple custard base, depending on the flavor desired. It has a very neutral flavor, basically just sweet milk. It is an excellent base when you want to capture the flavor of something like candy, cookies or cakes. It is also much more beginner friendly than a custard base, but might not give you as creamy a texture for certain flavors, like a basic vanilla.

In a medium saucepan combine 1 3/4 cup whole milk and 1 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream. You may be tempted to use half and half but beware! Depending on the brand, Half and Half can have a wide range of milk fat and is not as consistent as using milk and whipping cream.

Heat the liquids on the stove. you don’t need it to be boiling,m just hot enough to help dissolve the sugar you’ll be adding.

The sugar amount int this recipe is 1/2 cup, but this is just a base recipe and you’ll be adding other flavors, often that contain sugar already. you want to aim for at least 3/4 cup of sugar in total, so if you’re dding another ingredient that’s very high in sugar content you can cut the amount you use in the base. For most flavors I use 1/2 cup. A little too much sugar is never a problem, but not enough sugar will make your ice cream icey and hard.

Add 1/2 cup of sugar. This recipe uses xanthan gum as a stabilizer and because it clumps up in liquid, I find its easiest to incorporate buy mixing it in with the sugar before adding to the heated liquid. Add 2 tbs of corn syrup or glucose syrup. these syrups have a lower freezing point than granulated sugar and will help keep the ice cream softer when frozen.

Once all sugars are dissolved, take off the stove top. this is a good time to add any ingredient that needs to be melted into the ice cream like chocolate or caramel. I use the base when it is warm, but you can refrigerate it for up to two days if necessary. Once chilled the xanthan gum may separate and form a film at the top. this is fine and you can just whisk it up to recombine.