A simple yet elegant dessert
Something as simple as bread can be turned into an elegant dessert.
Bread pudding is a wonderful dessert, whether made from fresh bread or stale ends.
In olden times, bread pudding was a means of not wasting anything. The poor could not afford to waste even a scrap of old stale bread.
At the restaurants where I worked, bread pudding was a common “family meal” dessert. Leftover Danish and brioche from Sunday brunch and other events were turned into bread pudding and served to the staff. Big pans were filled with the bread, soaked in custard and slowly baked into a delicious pudding.
The concept of bread pudding is simple. Once you have mastered it, you can begin to make variations on the basic recipe.
Add fruits, nuts and spices or use different types of bread. Make savory bread puddings with various vegetables, meats and cheeses.
You can even change the ingredients in the custard to make the finished pudding more or less rich in taste or to change the firmness.
The versatility of bread pudding makes it something that should be in anyone’s repertoire
Basic custard — one quart of milk and eight whole eggs — will bind the bread together into a pudding when baked.
You may want to add sugar to the mixture, especially if you are using plain bread.
Three-quarters of a cup of sugar would be the most I would add, but even this may be too sweet for some, so adjust it to your liking. Bread that has its own sweetness, such as Danish, needs less added sugar (or maybe eliminate it altogether).
The custard can be adjusted as well. Any type of milk or cream can be used, from skim milk to full-fat cream. What you use will determine the fat content and richness of the pudding.
Whole eggs can be exchanged for just egg whites, eliminating the fat from the yolks.
Conversely, using whole eggs with extra egg yolks will make it richer.
Any bread works for bread pudding, from leftovers and the end slices of sandwich loaves to fresh bread bought specifically for the pudding. You can even use gluten-free bread.
Dessert Recipes with Bill & Sheila
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