Turkish Ice Cream Recipe - Maras Dondurma

5 from 1 vote

Turkish Ice Cream Recipe - Maras Dondurma

Thick, stretchy, and slow to melt, this homemade Maras Dondurma is the real Turkish ice cream experience made with just five ingredients and a freezer.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

cooling and freezing4

Total Time4 15

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Turkish

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Servings: people

Calories: 207kcal

Author: Ayla Clulee

Ingredients

4¼ cups full-fat milk (whole milk) (1 litre)
6¾ oz double cream or heavy cream (200 ml)
1 cup caster or granulated sugar (200 grams)
2 tablespoon pure salep powder (15 grams)
1 teaspoon mastic (2 grams)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a mortar and pestle add 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and the mastic, and crush them into a fine powder.
Heat the milk and cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the rest of the sugar and stir until completely dissolved.
In a small bowl, mix salep powder with a bit of cold milk to form a smooth paste.
Slowly add salep mixture to the milk mixture, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
Add the mastic powder to the saucepan and continue stirring to ensure everything is well combined.
Cook the mixture over low heat, stirring continuously. This step is crucial as it helps develop the stretchy texture. You’ll notice the mixture thickening and becoming more elastic. This process can take around 25-30 minutes depending on the quality and pureness of the salep powder, so patience is key.
Once the mixture has thickened, remove it from the heat, place it in a container, and whisk it for 10 minutes with a hand blender until it cools down.
Place the container in the freezer. Every 30 minutes, take it out and stir vigorously with a whisk or a spoon. Scrape any ice crystals that form on the bowl. This helps in incorporating air and breaking down ice crystals, ensuring a smooth texture.
After about 3-4 hours, the ice cream will start to set and it will be harder to whisk. When your ice cream has a chewy gum texture, it means it is ready to consume.
Freeze for 3 hours and your ice cream is ready to serve! Leave it at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving to make scooping easier.

Notes

Use goat's milk if you can find it, or a full-fat milk and cream mixture. Avoid semi-skimmed or low-fat milk. If using raw or unpasteurized milk, heat it to at least 90°C (190°F) first.
Turn the mastic into a fine powder with a little sugar before adding it to the milk, and mix the salep with a little cold milk into a smooth paste first too. Both steps stop lumps from forming.
Use good quality, pure salep powder for the best stretch. If you can't find it, ready-mix salep drink sachets work as an imperfect substitute.
Let the mixture cook slowly for 25 to 30 minutes on the stovetop, it needs that time to thicken and turn elastic.
Stir the mixture every 30 minutes while it freezes and scrape down the sides each time. Skipping this is the main reason it turns out icy instead of smooth.
Use a shallow, wide container rather than a deep one, it freezes more evenly and is easier to stir.
You can use an ice cream maker instead of hand stirring: freeze the cooled mixture for 30 minutes, churn it, then freeze again until fully set.
Total freeze time varies by freezer performance, go by texture (thick and chewy) rather than the clock.
Let the ice cream sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before scooping.
Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. This is a freezer-only dessert, it isn't meant to be kept in the fridge.
Made with milk and cream, so it isn't dairy-free or vegan, though it is vegetarian.

Nutrition