Easy and Delicious Ice Cream Sandwiches with Bread

Skip the cookies and make these easy Ice Cream Sandwiches with Bread for a fun twist on a summer favorite! 🍦🍞

Made with just a few store-bought ingredients, these no-bake ice cream sandwiches are quick, customizable, and perfect for warm-weather treats. Soft sandwich bread or brioche pairs beautifully with your favorite ice cream flavors, creating endless flavor combinations. They’re easy to make, kid-friendly, and great for parties, picnics, or an afternoon sweet treat.

Bread ice cream sandwiches are a delightful treat popular in Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Italy in addition to other countries. In Singapore, vendors sell these delicious cold desserts as street food, using both colorful and sweet bread as well as sliced white toast bread. This unique take on the ice cream sandwich is a refreshing alternative to the more common cookie-based versions. In Vietnam, ice cream is sandwiched in a hot-dog bread roll and Italy is known of its brioche ice cream sandwich.

I had my first bread ice cream sandwich the very first time I visited Singapore in 2015. I bought the ice cream sandwich from a street vendor who used a type of marble bread. I had a selection of ice cream, but I don’t recall what I picked. FYI, I spent at least half a day trying to find my photos, but I can’t locate them at present. I promise I will add them when they eventually show up in one of my folders. Below is a photo from a Thai vendor -ice cream in a bread roll.

💡Did you know?

According to the Oxford Companion to Sugars and Sweets “Hokey-Pokeys were slices cut form a brick of ice cream and wrapped in a piece of paper. Ice cream sandwiches, first created by a sweet vendor on New York City’s Bowery, soon became favorite food.” The Boston Globe claims that “street vendors in New York City began selling ice cream sandwiched between two baked items in the 1890s or early 1900s consisting of vanilla ice cream between two graham crackers. Based on Internet sources, it is believed that the first recipe of the first ice cream sandwich dates to 1894: it was composed of vanilla ice cream spread between two slices of sponge cake.

Why we make ice cream sandwiches with bread

The main difference between using bread and cookies for ice cream sandwiches lies in texture and flavor. Bread offers a soft, pillowy texture that contrasts nicely with the creamy ice cream, while cookies provide a crunchy, sweet exterior. Bread also absorbs some of the ice cream, creating a harmonious blend of flavors. In addition, there are many reasons to go for bread instead of cookies:

• Convenience: Bread is readily and largely available and easy to use. It is also affordable!
• Versatility: Bread pairs well with a wide range of ice cream flavors.
• Healthier: Often less sugar and fewer calories than cookies.
• Texture: Bread allows the ice cream flavor to shine without overpowering sweetness.
• Easier: Bread does not stick to the fingers like cookies.

🍞Exploring BreadTypes

First, let’s talk about the bread types. There is an unlimited selection of bread types in your local grocery store. It is impossible to try all of them for this fun project, so I personally had to make the tough decision to eliminate many. Find below the 5 types of bread we chose and the reasons:

1. Classic White Bread: Soft and versatile. The bread used for your to-do ice cream sandwich.
2. Marble Rye Bread: Adds a dramatic effect with its dark swirls. In addition, it has a mild bitterness that pairs well with sweet ice cream.
3. Flaky Croissant Toast: Rich and buttery. It toasts amazingly well and becomes the perfect pair with your favorite ice cream.
4. Banana Bread: Sweet and moist, a random find at a local Asian grocery store.
5. Naan Bread: Soft and chewy, perfect for a twist. We used it with tea-flavored ice cream.
6. French Palmiers: Not technically bread, but a flaky and sweet treat. We cheated!

Not convinced yet and you want to make some cookies for your ice cream sandwiches? Try our Chunky Peanut Butter Cookies without Brown Sugar and Martha’s Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

🍦Choosing Ice Cream Flavors

We used flavors form the newly launched Heritage Kulfi ice cream line. We paired these bread types with these delightful ice cream flavors:

1. 🥭Mango
2. Malai Sweet Cream
3. Rosewater
4. Pistachio
5. 🫖Earl Grey Tea
6. Saffron

Celebrate National Ice Cream Month: Enjoy 20% OFF in July. Click to visit Heritage Kulfi and get some ice cream!

Single-flavor ice creams work best as they pair seamlessly with the bread, creating a harmonious taste experience. You can of course experiment with any ice cream flavor you want including Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey.

Perfect Pairings: best bread for ice cream

Now, let’s explore some perfect pairings:

🍞Classic White Bread

• An Open Sandwich with Rosewater Ice Cream: A perfect blend of pure white bread with fragrant rosewater ice cream. Topped with rose petals for an elegant touch.
• A Traditional Closed Sandwich: Any ice cream flavor works well since white bread is plain and adaptable. We paired it the rosewater ice cream, malai sweet cream, and mango – all pure, simple, and delicious!

Marble Rye Bread

• Malai Sweet Cream: The dark rye contrasts beautifully with the creamy, sweet ice cream, creating a dramatic visual and taste effect.
• Rosewater: The fragrant and sweet rosewater ice cream cuts through the slight bitterness of the rye, balancing the flavors perfectly.

🥐Flaky Croissant Bread

• Saffron Ice Cream: The rich, buttery croissant pairs exquisitely with saffron ice cream, creating a luxurious combination.
• Pistachio Ice Cream: The nuttiness flavor of pistachio ice cream matches nicely the flaky croissant bread and cuts the buttery texture.

🌙Banana-shaped Bread

• Mango Ice Cream: The sweetness of the banana bread is elevated by the tropical flavor of mango ice cream. It was a little hard to slice the bread and to stuff it with the ice cream.
• Vanilla Ice Cream: Traditional vanilla ice cream for a simple taste.

Naan Bread

• Earl Grey Tea Ice Cream: An interesting combination, though we found naan paired better with vanilla ice cream.
• Vanilla Ice Cream: A simple and satisfying choice.

French Palmiers

• Any Ice Cream: These flaky, sweet treats add a delightful crunch to your ice cream sandwich. Below is filled with malai sweet cream and mango ice cream.

Do you want to make your own ice cream? Try our No Churn Vanilla Ice Cream with 3 ingredients

Why We Avoided Certain Breads

While experimenting, we chose not to use certain types of bread for specific reasons. We’d rather start with more collaborative bread types for the first experiment. The following bread types and many more (Texas French Toast, Cinnamon & Raisins etc.) will be on the next round of ice cream bread sandwich experiments. Stay tuned!

1. Sourdough Bread: Its strong, tangy flavor overpowers the delicate taste of ice cream.
2. Baguette Bread: Too dense and chewy, which doesn’t complement the soft texture of ice cream.
3. Pumpernickel Bread: Its robust flavor and dense texture are not well-suited for sweet, creamy ice cream.
4. Multigrain Bread: The seeds and grains can interfere with the smoothness of the ice cream, creating an unpleasant texture.

FAQs about ice cream sandwiches with bread

So, what do you think about bread ice cream sandwiches?

Bread ice cream sandwiches are a versatile, easy, and tasty alternative to the classic cookie-based versions. Experiment with different bread and ice cream combinations to find your favorite pairing. Whether you enjoy them fresh or pre-made from the freezer, these sandwiches are sure to delight!

Happy sandwich making!

Did you make this? Follow us on Pinterest @wedesserts and #wedesserts on Instagram and Facebook. We can’t wait to see your creation!

📘RECIPE CARD