Cook the Book: Bread Pudding

Posted by emily on December 4, 2012 · 1 Comment 

Chapter: Custards and Puddings – Recipe: Bread Pudding

Ok, technically this recipe is called The Coach House Bread and Butter Pudding, and Marion describes it as “the best bread pudding ever” quite the acclaim, if you ask me. In real life, it’s good. It’s really good. So creamy, yet kind of like clouds in your mouth.

When we were initially choosing recipes in The Breakfast Book, we joked that we should keep tabs about how much butter, cream and bacon fat we went through throughout the course of this series. It’s recipes like this that made us feel like we were going to gain 20lbs after it all. I had some whole milk left over from holiday candy making this past weekend and mixed with the cream, eggs and sugar it was just the ticket for this bread pudding. Just like everything else in this book, this was basically like the base recipe; you could add so many extras to make it special and just the way you like – rum/raisins, spices, bananas/chocolate chips… I’d recommend layering it in between the bread slices. And while we’re talking bread, I’ll let you know I chose to go with a very nice pain de mie from Acme Bakery, which was absolutely perfect. It’s light and airy that allows the bread to nearly dissolve when baked in the custard. I had been meaning to make bread pudding for a while now, and I think this is definitely a go to recipe that I’ll be adapting in the future.

Good luck with this one!! Actually, you don’t need luck. It’s so simple that I’m sure yours will turn out amazingly.

This is our 4th to last cook the book post – can you believe it?! So be sure to check out Aimee, Natasha, Rachel and Claudie this week too.

The Coach House Bread and Butter Pudding, split in half from The Breakfast Book

• 6-7 slices French bread or other light white bread
• ~ 4 tbsp butter, room temperature
• 2 1/2 eggs (I know 1/2 and egg is awkward, but I did just split the recipe in half)
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375.

Butter one side of each slice of bread and layer in baking dish, buttered side up.

Mix eggs, yolks, sugar and salt until well combined.

Heat milk and cream in a heavy-bottom saucepan and head until scalded (tiny bubbles around the edge). Remove from heat and slowly add egg mixture while whisking. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture through a sieve over bread slices.

Have enough boiling water ready to come up 2 1/2 inches up the sides of your baking dish when placed in a large pot (I used my oval dutch oven, it was perfect). Place pot of boiling water in the oven, and then put in your pudding dish.

Bake for about 45 min until custard is set with a slight tremble in the center. Let cool slightly. Serve warm or cold. As if the milk and cream in the dish wasn’t enough already Marion does recommend serving it with unsweetened heavy cream poured over!

Filed under breakfast, Cook the Book, dessert, FEATURED, side · Tagged with bread pudding, breakfast, cooking, custard, dessert, food