Tag: dayoldbread

A Dish For All Seasons (Bread Pudding)

A Dish For All Seasons (Bread Pudding)

The What

I LOVE bread pudding.  Sweet or savory, made with almost any kind of bread-from bagels to brioche, enveloped in a custard of eggs and milk, the epitome of comfort food.  Each spoonful is a revelation, crispy, crunchy outside and meltingly soft custard-like inside, YUM, it’s so good.

The Why

I’m guessing bread pudding was born out of economics, a way to not waste day-old bread. Who was that frugal genius?  It’s everything a dish should be-comforting, multi-textured, versatile, simple, and most of all amazingly delicious.

The Who

My favorite recipe is a mash-up of a Mark Bittman recipe in The New York Times and one from Bon Appetit, Apple-Raisin Bread Pudding.  That’s the beauty of bread pudding, it lends itself well to additions and changes.  Play with this recipe and make it your own.  I even have a rift for a Tres Leches Bread Pudding, yep, so many variations, so little time.

The How

It’s super versatile, I have used french bread, challah, brioche, or ciabatta.  If I want a richer dish I replace part of the milk with half-half (25-50%) or add 1-2 additional eggs for a more custard-like pudding.  I have added apples in the fall, berries, or peaches in the summer, dried fruit when my fruit basket is empty or folded in homemade preserves …  For you chocoholics, throw in a handful of chocolate chips.  You get the picture, this is a slam dunk.  For Thanksgiving,  a savory bread pudding with mushrooms, peppers, and Parmesan will grace our table, it has become an annual holiday tradition.

Toast the cubes in the oven at 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes

The Pay-Off

My kids would clean their rooms and do their chores for bread pudding, especially if I added a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Yep, a fam-favorite for many reasons.

Adapted from Simple Bread Pudding by Mark Bittman

Who doesn't love a simple, comforting dessert-bread pudding!
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword bread., eggs, Simple Bread Pudding
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups milk replace 1/2 with half-half for a richer pudding
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 stick) more for greasing pan
  • 1/2 cup sugar for a sweeter pudding use 3/4 cup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch salt
  • 1/2 loaf sweet egg bread like challah or brioche cut into 1.5-2-inch cubes (about 5 to 6 cups)
  • 2 eggs, beatened Like itt custardy? Add an extra egg

Optional Fruit Add-Ins Replace 1/2 cup of bread with any of the following

  • 1 apple peeled and cored, cut into 1/2 inch dice. Granny Smith for tart, Golden Delicious for sweet.
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Butter a 2-quart baking dish and fill it with cubed bread (8x8 or 9x9 square pan will work)
  • Toast cubed bread pieces in 350 degrees oven for 10 minutes. This is an optional step. If you do toast bread, definitely soak the cubes before baking.
  • In a small saucepan over low heat, warm milk, butter, vanilla, sugar and salt. Continue cooking just until butter melts; cool.
  • Add eggs to cooled milk mixture and whisk; pour mixture over bread. Let sit for abot 30 minutes so the bread can soak up the egg mixture. This makes a more custard like pudding.
  • Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until custard is set but still a little wobbly and edges of bread have browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Tweaks

  • Like cinnamon add 1/4 teaspoon to egg mixture.
  • In place of fruit use 1/4-1/2 cup jam or preserves, dot pudding, distributing evenly
  • Sprinkle bread pudding with cinnamon before baking. For a crunchy top, sprinkle top with 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar before baking. (To make your own cinnamon sugar, combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 2 T cinnamon)
  • Golden raisins work well in this bread pudding too!