Churn This: Brown Ale & Bacon

For our Vault Series 10 Year Reunion, we're throwing it back to one of our first flavors EVER. When Salt & Straw opened, maple bacon was everywhere, so we would have been remiss to completely skip the trend. In true early form, we wanted our take to be unique, so we went to an unconventional partner for the answer: a brewer. This flavor marked our first-ever collaboration with a local brewery, and quickly became a Saltie favorite. Now it’s your churn 🙃 Make sure to tag us in your homemade scoops on social.

Brown Ale & Bacon

Makes about 2 ½ pints

¼ cup munich malt, dry

2 tablespoons pilsner malt, dry

¼ cup munich malt, liquid

½ brown ale

3 cups ice cream base, very cold (recipe follows)

Bacon brittle (recipe follows)

• Bring 1 cup of water to a boil and add dry malts. Cover and let simmer on low for 30 minutes.
• Add liquid malt and stir until fully combined.
• Strain and use the back of a ladle or spoon to press remaining liquid out of the malt pellets. Place malt syrup in the fridge to cool.
• Combine cooled malt syrup and brown ale (we use Great Notion’s Tasty Brown Ale) with ice cream base. Use an immersion blender or whisk to combine until smooth.
• Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and turn on the machine. Churn until the mixture has the texture of soft-serve, about 25 minutes.
• Alternate spooning layers of the ice cream mixture and generous chunks of bacon brittle in freezer-friendly containers.
• Cover with parchment paper, pressing it to the surface of the ice cream is it adheres, then cover with a lid. It’s okay if the parchment hangs over the rim. Store in the coldest part of your freezer (furthest from the door) until firm, at least 6 hours. It will keep for up to 3 months.

Ice Cream Base

Makes about 3 cups

½ cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons dry milk powder

¼ teaspoon xanthan gum

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 ½ cups whole milk

1 ⅓ heavy cream

• Combine the sugar, dry milk, and xanthan gum in a small bowl and stir well.
• Pour the corn syrup into a medium pot and stir in the whole milk. Add the sugar mixture and immediately whisk vigorously until smooth. Set the pot over medium heat and cook, stirring often and adjusting the heat if necessary to prevent a simmer, until the sugar has fully dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.
• Add the cream and whisk until fully combined. Transfer the mixture to an airtight container and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 6 hours, or for even better texture and flavor, 24 hours. Stir the base back together if it separates during the resting time. The base can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. (Just be sure to fully thaw the frozen base before using it.)

 Bacon Brittle

Makes about 1 cup

1/2 c roasted bacon

1 c sugar

1/2 c corn syrup

1/2 c water

4 oz butter, diced

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

• Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in a small pot. Stir to hydrate and then cover. Bring to a boil over high heat.
• Once mixture comes to a boil and is completely clarified, add butter.
• Cook to 290F. Turn off heat. Add salt and bacon and stir.
• Add baking soda. Stir and let rise for a quick second.
• Pour onto a parchment lined sheet tray. Spread thin with offset knife or spatula and let cool.
• Once it has completely cooled, crack into bite sized pieces with the back of a spoon.