Malted Milk Ice Cream & Beer Float. This recipe was inspired by my conversation with Alison Taffs about the culinary uses of malt for an edition of the Pubs, Pints, People podcast. We discussed the similarities between malt as an ingredient in beer and food and where you will find it in the kitchen or supermarket. Beer floats come from the golden era of the soda fountain in pharmacies and mom-and-pop candy stores across America. Here you could get a root beer topped with a scoop of ice cream. This got me thinking about a malty-flavoured ice cream with a delicious beer but be warned it packs a punch.
A little bit about Malt
From a culinary perspective, malt has the same flavour profile as it does in brewing. However, cooks don’t tend to use heavily toasted malt with bitter chocolate notes. Malt tastes sweet and nutty, but is also described as tasting similar to toast, caramel, coffee or fruits like raisins. The reason for this sweet taste comes from how malt is made from barley.
You find malt used as an ingredient in the classic sticky Malt loaf. Malt gives this teatime favourite its distinct flavour and texture. Maltesers were created by the chocolate company Mars and first sold in the UK in 1937. Mars decided to use malt in their new candy including rolling the finished sweet in malt powder, although this has now been replaced with a chocolate coating. Mars was influenced by the popularity of malted milk.
Malted milk is made from a mixture of malted barley, wheat flour, and evaporated whole milk powder. The powder is used to add its distinctive flavor to beverages and other foods, but it is also used in baking to help dough cook properly. The first malted milk was created by London pharmacist James Horlick as a baby food and supplement for invalids. Malted milk became hugely popular when mixed with ice cream in a “malt” and sold in soda shops.
Riggwelter Beer
Riggwelter produced by the Yorkshire Black Sheep Brewery is part of a long-brewing heritage. The brewery founded by a scion of the iconic Theakston family produces a range of delicious ales including this strong, dark ale. It is named after a local Yorkshire farming name for a sheep stuck on its back. Coming in at a hearty 5.7% you might end up in the same position if you drink too many! The toasted malts build up the dark rich colour and layers of chocolate and coffee flavours. The brewing adds hints of fruit and bitter notes which perfectly balance the sweeter malty ice cream.
Malted Milk Ice Cream
Because of the sugar and fat content, this ice cream will set perfectly in your freezer without needing to churn in an ice cream machine. If you want to treat the kids remove from the freezer and add a pack of roughly crushed Maltesers. If you are vegan, you can use vegan alternatives for all of the ingredients for a delicious alternative. Malted Milk Ice Cream is a great alternative to vanilla ice cream served with my Apple and Bramble Crumble.
Malted Milk Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 600 ml thick Jersey Double Cream
- 375 ml Condensed Milk
- 125 gr Instant Malted Milk Powder
- 25 gr Muscavado Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Whisk the cream, condensed milk and malted milk powder together, in a large bowl until it forms soft peaks. Transfer to a sealable container and place in the freezer for at least twelve hours. To serve scoop in to a glass of chilled beer.
