Chocolate Sourdough Ice Cream (Printable)
Rich dark chocolate meets tangy sourdough in this creamy frozen dessert with unique depth and velvety texture.
# What You Need:
→ Ice Cream Base
01 - 1 1/2 cups whole milk
02 - 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
03 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
04 - 4 large egg yolks
05 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
→ Chocolate Mixture
06 - 4 oz dark chocolate (70% cacao), chopped
07 - 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
→ Sourdough Addition
08 - 1/2 cup active sourdough starter (unfed/discard, room temperature)
# Steps:
01 - In a medium saucepan, whisk together the whole milk, heavy cream, and half of the granulated sugar. Warm gently over medium heat until the mixture begins to steam, taking care not to bring it to a boil.
02 - In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar and salt until the mixture turns pale yellow and becomes thick and creamy.
03 - Slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the yolk mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly to gradually raise the temperature of the yolks without scrambling them. Return the combined mixture to the saucepan.
04 - Cook the custard over low heat, stirring continuously with a spatula or wooden spoon, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon and reaches 170°F on an instant-read thermometer.
05 - Remove the saucepan from heat. Add the chopped dark chocolate and unsweetened cocoa powder, stirring until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy.
06 - Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any lumps or cooked egg bits. Allow the base to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.
07 - Once the base has reached room temperature, whisk in the sourdough starter until it is fully incorporated and the mixture is uniform throughout.
08 - Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate the ice cream base for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight, to ensure it is thoroughly chilled before churning.
09 - Pour the chilled base into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions until it reaches a thick, soft-serve consistency.
10 - Transfer the churned ice cream into a lidded storage container, smoothing the top with a spatula. Freeze for at least 2 hours to firm up before scooping and serving.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The sourdough adds a subtle complexity that makes the chocolate taste richer without any overt bread flavor.
- It uses up discard starter, so nothing goes to waste and you feel like a kitchen genius.
02 -
- Skipping the straining step once left me with tiny egg lumps that ruined the entire batch, so always strain the custard.
- Adding the sourdough before the custard fully cooled killed the tang and created a grainy texture I had to throw out.
03 -
- Chilling the custard overnight instead of the minimum 4 hours makes a noticeable difference in how smooth the final ice cream turns out.
- A tablespoon of bourbon stirred in before churning deepens the chocolate flavor and keeps the ice cream softer straight from the freezer.