don't know whether there is a better dish to make using leftover stale bread.
Oh, I know bread pudding may not be the prettiest to look at but it only takes one bite
to realize why this pudding has been popular for centuries.
Bo Friberg tells us in his book "Professional Pastry Chef" that in
centuries past, it was very common in England for every kitchen to have a
bowl sitting on the counter to collect leftover bread. Once the bowl was
full it would be used to make a rich and creamy bread pudding. What makes a
bread pudding perfect everyday fare is that it does not use fancy
ingredients; just bread, milk and/or cream, sugar, eggs, and some flavoring
(like vanilla and cinnamon). And any leftover bread can be used; French,
Italian, brioche, challah, panettone or even croissants. You can leave the
crusts on or take them off. My favorite is the more sturdy French bread,
crusts left on, that doesn't have too thick of a crust. The interesting
part about this recipe is that instead of baking the pudding in one large
roasting pan it is baked in individual muffin tins. This makes for a very
nice presentation. This recipe is one that I adapted from Marcy Goldman's
"The Best of Better Baking.com".
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177
degrees C). Place rack in the middle of the oven. Butter well or
spray, with a non stick vegetable spray, 12 muffin tins.
Place the bread cubes in
a large mixing bowl and add the cream
and milk. Let stand for five minutes. Then stir in the beaten eggs, sugar, vanilla,
and melted and cooled butter.
In a separate bowl,
combine the flour, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, and lemon zest.
Stir this mixture into the bread cube mixture and then fold in the raisins and apple
chunks.
Evenly divide the
mixture among the 12 muffins cups, using two spoons or an ice cream scoop.
Place the muffin tin on a parchment lined baking sheet and
place in the oven. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and a
toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool.
Can dust with confectioners (icing or powdered) sugar before serving.
Makes 12
regular-sized muffins.
Source:
Goldman, Marcy &
Huneault, Yvan. 'The Best of Better Baking.com'. Ten Speed Press. Berkeley:
2002.
Muffins:
7
cups of bread cubes, cut into bite sized pieces (See Note below)
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