Focaccia Works Unexpectedly Well For An Ice Cream Sandwich

Say the phrase "ice cream sandwich" to a crowd, and there's a good chance that a different image might come to mind for everyone. Maybe it's vanilla ice cream between soft chocolate wafers or sandwiched by two chocolate chip cookies. Perhaps it's French-style macarons or even cereal treats. While these sweet creations no doubt make a tasty complement to your scoops, some frozen dessert fanatics pose a provocative question: Must ice cream sandwiches always be served on sweet slices, separate from their savory counterparts?

Italians might say no, since they're no strangers to stuffing traditional breads with cold treats. In Sicily, for example, you can find coffee granita served on a brioche roll for breakfast, and many regions embrace the same freshly baked sweet bread for their gelato panini. But whether store-bought, picked up from your favorite bakery, or freshly made at home, focaccia (the fluffy Italian flatbread) brings something more to the table. This oily, salty, chewy, and golden-crusted carb may be famous at lunch or dinner, but those very same qualities make it a perfect pairing with a creamy, cool scoop of ice cream when you finish your meal.

There are multiple types of this bread throughout Italy, but perhaps the most well-known kind of focaccia the one traditional to the region of Liguria, made with plenty of fruity olive oil and big flakes of sea salt. If you've ever enjoyed olive oil-flavored ice cream or drizzled olive oil over scoops of your favorite flavor, you already understand why this combination can be mind-blowing.

Olive oils can range in flavor from peppery to nutty, citrusy to herbaceous — qualities that easily pair with so many ice cream selections. Flakes of sea salt amplify the sweetness of ice cream and add a little textural pop.

Additionally, focaccia is squishy and chewy with just a slight crisp on top. This means when you take a bite, it won't crumble or be so inflexible that it pushes your ice cream out, as a more crusty slice of traditional bread might. The best kind of focaccia for ice cream sandwiches is a thinner style; since you're going to be eating two slices with ice cream in between, so the super fluffy or tall focaccia might be unwieldy. Tuscan schiacciata — a flatter variation — is an ideal ice cream-friendly option.

Choosing ice cream flavors for your sandwich may just be the toughest part, but when it comes to focaccia, simpler options are a sound place to start. Depending on the flavor profile of your bread — which will largely be determined by the type of olive oil used — you may already have a lot of complexity going on. This might not be the ideal platform to experiment with the complete list of Ben & Jerry's flavors.

Instead, decadent dark chocolate or fragrant, lightly floral French vanilla ice cream is a safe bet that complements the nuances of olive oil without competing with them. Even the rosemary that frequently garnishes Ligurian focaccia will pair reliably and beautifully with these flavors.

If you feel compelled to branch out, try toasted coconut or almond for a nutty twist, or lemon sorbet for a tart, palate-cleansing pop. You can also look to other Italian-inspired frozen desserts, like mascarpone or ricotta-flavored gelato, for subtle yet unforgettable pairings. And if you're still not sold on the savory style, focaccia can also be made in sweet forms. Add fruits like plums and figs, or dust it with sugar, cinnamon, and orange zest. But regardless of whether you skew more savory or sweet, a single bite of this surprising combination may forever change your vision of an ice cream sandwich.