Bread pudding may seem like a perfect warm treat for a cold rainy day, but it transitions quite nicely to summertime fruits and sunny afternoons. My favorite bread pudding recipe comes from the Williams-Sonoma's book titled Entertaining (I highly, highly recommend it). They have a recipe for the worlds most decadent, most divine, peach bread pudding. This however, is not that recipe. The Williams-Sonoma recipe is incredibly rich, and I didn't really think I needed a dessert that full of heavy cream. So I tried another recipe from the good ol' Brass Sisters. While not quite as blissfully sinful, this recipe was still a delight.I baked one medium sized pudding with peaches, one small one with plums from our yard, and one with some strawberries and rhubarb. All three were delicious, so I encourage you to try different fruits as they come into season.
Bread Pudding
adapted from Heirloom Baking
14-16 slices of brioche, cut into cubes
(I used day old brioche buns and croissants. I also leave the crust on, removing it always seems like a waste)
1/2 c butter
2 c milk
2 c heavy cream
(I forgot to buy cream, so I used 3 c milk and 1 c Greek yogurt, turned out great)
1 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups fruit, or raisins soaked in brandy
1 c brown sugar
Melt half the butter in a heavy skillet. Add half of the bread cubes and cook until brown, stirring occasionally. Repeat with the remaining butter and bread. (you can skip this step, but it does make the pudding that much more yummy). Place the bread and fruit in a 9x13 pan..
Combine the remaining ingredients excluding the brown sugar. Pour half of the custard mixture over top of bread and allow to soak for about ten minutes. Pour remaining custard over the bread, making sure all of the pieces are soaked. Sprinkle with the brown sugar.
Bake at 350° in a water bath for 1 hour 15 minutes. Make sure to check to water bath frequently so that it doesn't all evaporate. If the pudding seems to be getting to dried out before it is finished baking, cover the top loosely with foil.
Remove from oven when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 30-60 minutes. The pudding is best when slightly warm.
2 comments:
I adore bread pudding, especially the kind I ate in New Orleans with whiskey sauce. I have some croissants in the freezer. Maybe I'll try to find some ripe fruit and make a small batch of this. I can taste it and Larry will inhale the rest. You're so lucky to have your own fruit trees.
Oh I just love bread pudding but, have never actually made it myself. Shame on me. I better get going on that.
I want to try that Williams Sonoma recipe you were talking about.
Have a great day!
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