Wondering how to make ice cream like Momofuku Milk Bar? We were, so we did some research.
We read Momofuku Milk Bar: A Cookbook by Christina Tosi, and we encourage you to click the link and do the same. It’s an amazing cookbook, and its contents are not just limited to ice cream recipes! The included crack pie recipe is named that for a reason—it’s addictive stuff—and worth the purchase price alone.
Below you’ll find our copycat ice cream base recipe for Momofuku Milk Bar. We adapted their cereal flavored ice cream recipe into a generic sweet cream base.
But first, let’s summarize what Momfuku Milk Bar does differently to make its ice cream base so extraordinary.
Milk and Cream: all whole milk, no cream. This is the only base recipe we’ve featured that includes no cream. Ice cream typically has 10 – 18% butterfat, and much of that fat comes from the cream. Due to the lack of cream, this base recipe will likely land toward the lower end of that ice cream spectrum—around 10% butterfat. The original recipe called for 3 3/4 cups of milk. We reduced that to 3 1/4 cups. The original recipe was for cereal flavored ice cream—the milk was supposed to be soaked in and then strained through sweet breakfast cereal. Some of the milk would have been absorbed by the cereal, thus the reduced amount for this plain base version.
Gelatin: Milk Bar is the only premium brand to use gelatin as a thickener. Blooming the gelatin—soaking it briefly in cold water—takes a little finesse as detailed in the recipe instructions below. If you can’t find it in your local grocery store, you can always purchase gelatin sheets on Amazon.
Corn powder: Milk Bar is also the only premium brand to use corn powder as a thickener. The Milk Bar Cookbook advises that you should buy whole freeze-dried sweet corn—specifically not the organic variety, which they say lacks flavor. Then you should grind it into powder in your blender. Store any leftover corn powder in an airtight container to keep it fresh and free from moisture. Fortunately, you can buy freeze-dried sweet corn on Amazon.
Sugar: Milk Bar is the only brand using brown sugar in its base. It gives a richer, slightly caramel flavor to the base. Light brown sugar is also available on Amazon.
Milk powder: other brands also use milk powder in their base recipes, for example Salt & Straw. Milk powder adds more savory flavor to the base. It’s composed of cooked milk proteins with a richer, milkier flavor than whole milk. Milk powder also adds texture; its use results in a denser, smoother base. Milk powder is also available at amazon.
Glucose: Glucose is an invert sugar, and another thickener. Milk Bar uses it to add body—texture—to the base, and to prevent crystallization. In other words, it keeps the base smooth and soft, preventing it from becoming icy, crumbly, or chalky. And it adds a little sweetness too. Glucose syrup is readily available on Amazon as well.
Heat: this base is only cooked once to “warm” with no temperature or time specified. Heat loosens the proteins in the milk, making for a richer, milkier-flavored base. Because this base includes no egg yolks, it’s not necessary to pasteurize it by cooking it to a specific temperature. In that respect, it’s an easier and quicker base to prepare.
No rest: Unlike most other brands, Milk Bar suggests that you immediately use the base to make ice cream. Their recipe does not include any time for the base to rest in the fridge.
Contents
MOMOFUKU MILK BAR COPYCAT ICE CREAM BASE RECIPE
Yield
1 quart
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 gelatin sheets
- 3 1/4 cups whole milk
- 2 teaspoons freeze-dried corn powder
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup milk powder
- 2 tablespoon glucose
Instructions
- Soak gelatin in a bowl of cold water for about 2 minutes until soft. It should not fall apart. If gelatin falls apart, then soak another gelatin sheet for a slightly shorter amount of time, and use that sheet instead.
- Squeeze gelatin gently to remove water.
- Warm the milk in a saucepan. Remove from heat.
- Whisk gelatin into warmed milk until dissolved.
- Whisk in remaining ingredients until dissolved.
- Pour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into ice cream maker. Process as you usually would, following manufacturer instructions. For best results serve ice cream immediately. Alternatively, ice cream can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
Books
Need to know how Milk Bar does it? Get Milk Bar’s cookbook:
Momofuku Milk Bar: A Cookbook
Want to branch out from ice cream to cakes? Milk Bar has the recipes for you:
All About Cake: A Milk Bar Cookbook
Christina Tosi of Milk Bar also has lots of savory recipes ready for you to enjoy:
Milk Bar Life: Recipes & Stories: A Cookbook
And Christina Tosi of Milk Bar has some recipes just for you kids too:
Milk Bar: Kids Only: A Cookbook
Website
Order Home Delivery
Momofuku Milk Bar Delivery Nationwide
Related
Read all the Momofuku Milk Bar Ice Cream Pint Reviews. (Coming Soon)
Read all the base recipes of the famous brands like Ben & Jerry’s and Häagen-Dazs.
Last Updated on September 2, 2022 by Ice Cream Admin
