Bread Pudding
is an old fashioned dessert that had humble beginnings in 13th century England.
It was first
known as a "poor man's pudding" as it was
made from stale leftover bread that was just moistened in water, to which a
little sugar, spices and other ingredients
were added. Fast forward to today, and you will find that we still make our bread puddings with bread but
the breads we use are often made especially for this
pudding and the types are wide ranging; breads like brioche, challah, croissant, panettone, French,
Italian and sometimes even raisin bread or scones.
Today, we are also not content
to simply soak the bread in water, instead we use a rich mixture (really a custard) of milk (or cream), eggs, sugar, vanilla, and
spices. Sometimes even nuts, chocolate, zests, alcohol, candied, dried or fresh fruits
are added for more flavor and texture. The
end result is a rich, creamy, decadent dessert that has now made its way onto
the dessert menus of many fine restaurants. This recipe makes a large 9 x
13 inch bread pudding as I like plenty of leftovers for breakfast the next day. The one thing to take note of, though, is that this pudding is baked in a
water bath. A
water bath
starts with a large
shallow pan (usually a roasting pan of some sort) that is big enough to hold a
smaller pan that is filled with
a delicate food. It is best to place a clean dish towel on the
bottom of the large roasting pan to prevent the
dish from moving about during baking. Once
you have placed the smaller dish inside the large roasting pan,
hot water is poured into the larger pan until it reaches about halfway
up the outside of the smaller dish containing the food. This is then
placed in a slow oven. We do this because a water bath prevents delicate
foods, like this bread pudding, from burning, drying out, or curdling
(when a milk or egg mixture separates into its liquid and solid components).
Just make sure to
occasionally check the water level during the baking time, adding more hot water
as necessary.
Preheat oven to 300
degrees F (150 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Lightly grease
with butter, or spray with Pam, a 9 x 13 inch (33 x 23 x 5 cm)
heatproof baking dish. Place the 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish into a larger
roasting pan that has enough room to fill with water.
For Custard: In an electric mixer
(or with a hand mixer),
beat the eggs
and sugar on high speed until thick and lemon colored (about 4-5 minutes) (when beater is raised
the batter will fall back into bowl in a slow ribbon). Add the vanilla and
cinnamon. Then beat in the melted and cooled butter and half and half
(light cream).
Assemble:
Place
the bread cubes and fruit (if using) in the prepared pan.
Carefully pour (or use a ladle) the prepared custard over the
bread cubes until completely covered. Press down the bread cubes so they are covered with
the custard.
Prepare a
water bath.
(A water bath is used to provide temperature protection for the egg custard.)
Carefully pour in enough hot water so that the water is halfway up
sides of the 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Bake about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the
center comes out clean. Another way to judge whether the pudding is
fully baked, is to gently press down on the center of the pudding. If any
custard comes up to the top, the pudding needs to be baked a little longer.
Remove the bread pudding from the water bath and cool slightly before serving.
Can be served
warm or cold with a dusting of confectioners' sugar and a dollop of softly
whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Makes one 9 x 13
bread pudding (serves about 8 - 10 people)
Bread:
9 -
10 cups of bread cubes, (crusts left on or removed), cut into bite sized
pieces
4 tablespoons
(28 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4
cups (960 ml) half & half, milk, light cream
or a combination thereof
Variation: Can replace
2 tablespoons of the milk/cream with 2 tablespoons of brandy or rum.
Note:
Use breads (or a combination thereof) like French, Broiche, Challah, Croissant, Italian,
or Panettone. The bread can be fresh or stale and crusts can be
left on or removed. You can also use day old scones.
Fruit:
(Optional)
- 1 large
peeled and cored tart apple, diced
- about 1
- 2 cups of fresh
berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries)
- one large diced
banana and 2 ounces of chopped
white or dark chocolate
- 1 cup sultanas
(raisins)
- 1 cup of
chocolate chips
s
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