Bread Pudding
On July 26, 2012 by Meghalee Das
Before I start the recipe, I would like to mention that exactly one year ago I had posted my first recipe in this blog and today, as I write my 50th post, I would like to thank everyone who has encouraged me and who shares my enthusiasm about food and writing. When I started this blog, it was just a way to pass my time, record my recipes (because sometimes I forget them too!) and discuss food with a few friends who were either new to cooking or like to read whatever I scribble. Fifty seems like a small number but when I think of 50 successful dishes (and maybe 50 not so successful ones which you don’t get to read here!), I feel happy that I tried. So thanks again and cheers to another 50!
Prep time: 15 min Baking time: 50-55 min Serves: 8-10
Ingredients:
Bread: 4 cups, cut into cubes
Milk: 2 cups
Eggs: 2, large
White sugar: 4 tbsp
Brown sugar: 4 tbsp (Use 1/2 cup white sugar if you don’t have brown sugar)
Vanilla extract: 1 tsp
Melted butter: 2 tbsp
Grated lemon zest: 1 tsp
Salt: 1/4 tsp
Nutmeg: 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon: 1/4 tsp
Raisins/pecans/walnuts: 1/2 cup (optional)
Method:
1) Lightly grease an 8 or 9-inch square pan with butter and keep aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Cut bread into small cubes (I used half of a whole wheat French loaf; you can use any type of bread, preferably coarse and at least 3 or 4 days old). Arrange the bread cubes in the pan.
3) In a bowl, whisk the eggs, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon till the mixture become lightly frothy. Add the lemon zest, butter and raisins/nuts (optional) and mix again.
4) Pour this custard mixture evenly over the bread pieces and let it soak for a few minutes. You can use a spoon/spatula to press the bread into the custard.
5) Bake it for 50-55 minutes in a water bath or normally till the top becomes brown and a toothpick comes clean when inserted into the pudding.
6) Place the pan in a wire rack for 10 minutes. You can eat it warm or let it chill in the fridge for a couple of hours and serve it with whipped cream, ice-cream or as it is.
(Note:
*If you are using a water bath, put the baking dish in a bigger pan and fill it with hot water halfway through. Be careful when placing it in the oven as it will be heavy and hot. A water bath helps to cook the pudding gently and the milk does not curdle. But it is okay if you do not use a water bath too.
*The baking time may vary from oven to oven. I increased the oven temperature to 375 degrees F for the last 10 minutes to get a golden brown colour.
*Instead of 2 cups milk, you can replace 1 cup milk with 1 cup condensed milk or whipping cream or half and half. It will make the pudding richer and dense. Reduce the amount of sugar if you use sweetened condensed milk.)
