Before I
knew any better, I was not a fan of bread pudding. “Bread” and “pudding” just never seemed to go together.
That would be akin to combining potatoes and cake. Oh wait, there are potato cakes. Well,
then, corn and pudding. Nope, there’s a
corn pudding as well. Well, you know
what I mean. I was young and
innocent! My youthful version of pudding
consisted of milk and powder from a package, vigorously whipped into a gelatinous state.
That was as adventurous as I got.
Marrying Mr.
O-P changed all of that. He loved bread
pudding and had an excellent recipe. All
it took was one taste and I was sold.
Since that time I have been trying as many varieties as possible. When this recipe from Sunset 44 Bistro
appeared in the November 12th edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch I knew it was in my future. I think it is probably one of the best bread
puddings that I’ve ever tasted. I made
the recipe as is with the exception of substituting challah for the
sourdough. Over the years I’ve become a
bit of a bread pudding snob and feel that challah is the best choice for the
job. I make my own just for this
purpose, but bake it in a loaf pan rather than taking the trouble to braid
something that I’m just going to cut up anyway.
You can find that recipe here. Or buy one at your local market. Challah not available? A package of croissants will do in a pinch.
Sunset
44 Bistro’s Bread Pudding
Yield: 12 servings
5 large eggs
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 cups of 40 percent cream
1 cup whole milk
½ tablespoon vanilla
Butter, for the pan
12 ounces day-old sourdough rolls, cut in
1-inch cubes
12 ounces white chocolate chips
For serving: caramel sauce and vanilla ice
cream
About 18 hours before baking, quickly whisk
eggs and sugar until light, fluffy, pale yellow and a “ribbon” falls from the
whisk. Whisk in cream, milk and vanilla.
Butter a 9-by-13
pan and arrange bread cubes inside it. Pour egg mixture over top, spreading to
distribute evenly, wetting all the pieces. Top with white chocolate. Cover
tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 18 hours.
Heat oven to 300
degrees F.
Remove plastic
wrap. With your fingers, gently lift bread pieces a bit, loosening the mixture.
Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour or until custard is tender but set
in the center. (The bread pudding will puff near the end.) Remove foil and bake
for an additional 10 minutes until top browns. Remove from oven and let rest
for 10 minutes before cutting.
To serve Sunset
44-style, drizzle a plate with caramel sauce. Cut bread pudding into rounds,
using the scraps to press into additional rounds. Place a warm bread pudding in
the center of the plate and top with a scoop of ice cream.
Recipe adapted for home
kitchens by the Post-Dispatch.
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Can't wait to try this Pattie, thanks for the bread tips, I would think the challah or croissant would be better than heavier and less sweet sour dough. White chocolate and caramel sounds divine!
ReplyDeleteJenna