The reason I am writing about bread pudding for this column is kind of a funny story.
I have been going through many of my hundreds of cookbooks and food magazines, hand-me-down recipes, etc., looking to change up my usual menu a bit. I spotted a delicious-looking glossy photograph in either a book or a magazine, for bread pudding. Instantly, I became obsessed with trying it out.
I only do my big shopping about once every three or four weeks, so I keep a legal pad to jot down ingredients I need. On the back of the list, I write down a menu plan, usually for dinners and desserts. On that menu plan were the words “bread pudding,” and in the ingredients side of the list were all the essential items I needed to purchase in order to make it. So, off to the market I went. I loaded up my cart.
I came home, and, a day or two later, decided it was time to make that bread pudding. Hmmm… where had I seen that recipe? I had neglected to jot down a side note about exactly which book or magazine I had seen it in. And to make matters worse, I had cleaned up my coffee table, which had been piled high with magazines and cookbooks.
That’s right, I spent three days doing almost nothing but looking for that recipe as if my life depended on it. Every time I thought, “Aha! I finally found it,” it turned out not to be the case. So, now I will have to search for a similar recipe that calls for the same ingredients.
Please do not do like I did; write down where you discovered this or that treasured recipe. You will be glad you did.
Bread pudding with caramel vanilla sauce
If you can’t find challah bread, brioche will do.
1 loaf (1 pound) challah bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup dark or golden raisins, soaked for a few minutes in water and drained
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
4 large eggs
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Caramel vanilla sauce:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 can (12-oz.) evaporated milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with butter. Place the cubed bread into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the soaked and drained raisins over the bread cubes and drizzle the melted butter over all. (Do not mix bread cubes yet.) Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until evenly beaten. Then whisk in the sugars, half-and-half, whole milk and vanilla extract until evenly combined.
3. Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes. Gently press the bread down into the custard. Let that rest for at least 1 hour so the bread can soak up the custard.
4. Preheat oven to 350. Bake , uncovered, for 35 minutes. Then carefully cover the baking dish loosely with foil and cook another 10 minutes.
5. While bread pudding is cooking, make the vanilla caramel sauce. Place a medium saucepan over medium heat and add in the butter and brown sugar. Cook, stirring constantly, until completely melted. Whisk in the evaporated milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and salt. Set aside.
6. Remove bread pudding from the oven, remove foil, and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Cut into slices, pour caramel vanilla sauce over the top of each slice, and serve warm. This bread pudding is even better the next day. Makes 12 servings.
Sweet potato and pumpkin bread pudding
We are not into the fall season yet, but who says we can’t enjoy some of our favorite flavors any time of year? This serves a crowd, so you can cut the recipe in half, if needed.
For the bread pudding:
2 large sweet potatoes, roasted and peeled
2 loaves day-old French bread (1 pound each, or total of 8 cups)
8 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 can (15-oz.) pumpkin puree (not prepared pie filling)
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups half-and-half
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
For praline sauce:
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups brown sugar (light or dark)
1 1/2 cups whole or chopped pecans
1 cup heavy cream
1. Preheat oven to 425. If you haven’t yet roasted the sweet potatoes, poke a few holes in them and place on bottom rack of oven. Bake for about 45 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. While the potatoes roast, prep the bread pudding ingredients: tear or cut bread into one-inch pieces and place into a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Remove sweet potatoes and reset oven to 350. Place peeled sweet potatoes into a mixing bowl. Mash them into a paste. You can leave it somewhat lumpy, if you prefer.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs until well blended. Mix in sugar, pumpkin puree, heavy cream, half-and-half, melted butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg and sea salt. Stir in the cooled sweet potatoes.
4. Pour custard mixture into bowl of torn bread pieces and use a spoon or rubber spatula to mix and spread the mixture until all pieces of bread are evenly coated. Transfer to a large, non-stick oblong pan and smooth top of mixture with spoon or spatula until it is relatively flat and even. Place pan in oven to bake for about an hour and thirty minutes.
5. While the bread pudding bakes, melt the butter for the praline sauce in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
6. Add brown sugar and cream and stir until mixture is uniform. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for five to 10 minutes in order to allow sauce to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in pecans.
7. When ready to serve, you can either spoon the sauce all over the bread pudding before cutting or ladle it on the individual portions. Both ways work fine but the first is easiest with a large crowd. Makes 20 servings.
Apple bread pudding
For the bread pudding:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, divided, plus more for greasing the baking dish
10 cups 1-inch challah or brioche bread cubes (from a 14-to-16-oz. loaf)
3 apples, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup light brown sugar, divided
3 tablespoons whiskey, optional
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
3 cups half-and-half
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or extract
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For the sauce:
4 tablespoons (half a stick) salted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or extract
Pinch of kosher salt
1. For the bread pudding: Preheat the oven to 325 and butter a 2-quart baking dish, such as a 9-by-9-inch baking dish. Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted and dry, about 15 minutes.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Put 3 tablespoons of the melted butter in a medium bowl or large liquid measuring cup and set aside. Add the apples to the pan and cook until they start to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in 2/3 cup of the brown sugar, the whiskey (if using), and the lemon juice. Return to medium-high heat, bring to a simmer, and cook until the apples are soft and the liquid is starting to reduce, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
3. To the bowl of reserved melted butter, add the eggs, egg yolk, half-and-half, granulated sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and remaining 1/3 cup brown sugar and whisk until smooth; set aside.
4. Arrange half of the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish, then spoon 1 1/2 cups of the apple filling over the top. Arrange the remaining bread cubes over the apples, and scatter the remaining apples over the top. Pour the egg mixture over the top to cover. Let sit a few minutes so the bread cubes can soak up the liquid. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown with a slight jiggle, 55 to 60 minutes. Let rest for 30 minutes.
5. For the sauce: Meanwhile, combine the butter, brown sugar, half-and half, vanilla and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a simmer and cook, whisking, until thick and no longer grainy, about 5 minutes. Serve the sauce drizzled over the bread pudding. Entire recipe makes 9 servings.
Double raisin bread pudding
I have had a hand-written recipe for this pudding for so many years, I forgot where I got it. But given that the recipe calls for Sun-Maid Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread, it’s a pretty safe bet that credit for the recipe comes from Sun-Maid, which is privately owned by hundreds of grower families who farm thousands of acres of raisin grapes in central California.
6 slices raisin bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup raisins
2 cups milk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1. Heat oven to 350 (325 for a glass dish). Butter a 1-quart baking dish.
2. Combine bread cubes and raisins in baking dish. In a bowl, combine milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; blend well.
3. Pour over bread and raisins. Let stand for 5 minutes.
4. Bake in preheated oven, uncovered, for 50 minutes or until a knife inserted into center comes out clean. Serve warm or cool, along with cream or ice cream. Or serve with the following sauce. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Spirited sauce
1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup dark rum, brandy or apple juice
1. In saucepan, combine all sauce ingredients.
2. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 3 minutes.
3. Serve warm over warm or cool bread pudding.