Bread Pudding That Almost Everyone Likes
Bread pudding is a very simple dessert that never goes wrong. Almost everyone likes its taste. Rich, tender, and creamy. Every time it's made, it's always gone in a blink because it's just too good. —— Can we make a low-calorie bread pudding? —— If you're willing to sacrifice a bit of the texture, you can make a lower-calorie bread pudding. Check out the tips at the end of the recipe for guidance. 【Bread Pudding】
Ingredients
Steps
First, prepare about 2-3 slices of toast (about 100g). You can use homemade toast or store-bought slices. For homemade toast, you can use the raisin toast recipe (click here) and skip the raisins to make plain toast.
Cut the toast slices into small pieces, about 8 pieces per slice.
Melt the butter in a water bath or microwave. Brush a thin layer of melted butter on the toast pieces with a brush.
Place the buttered toast pieces in a baking bowl, interspersed with raisins. Choose a bowl or pan that fits the size, ensuring the bread pieces just about fill it. The bowl used in this recipe has a square shape with a top diameter of about 14cm. You can soak the raisins in rum or water beforehand to soften them for more flavor. Using them as-is without softening is also fine.
Meanwhile, prepare the pudding mixture. This step is very simple. Beat the eggs in a large bowl until well blended, then add sugar, salt, milk, heavy cream, and vanilla extract.
Mix everything well, and the pudding mixture is ready.
Pour the pudding mixture into the baking bowl filled with toast pieces.
Cover the surface of the baking bowl with cling wrap, then place the bowl in the refrigerator (4℃) for 1 hour to allow the toast pieces to fully absorb the pudding mixture. During refrigeration, take out the bowl 2-3 times to press down the upper toast pieces so they can also absorb the pudding mixture thoroughly.
After chilling, sprinkle some cinnamon powder on the surface (optional, depending on preference). Place the baking bowl into a larger baking bowl or pan. Pour boiling water into the larger container, ensuring it covers at least half the height of the pudding mixture. The water-bath baking method ensures a silky texture.
Preheat the oven to 170℃. Place the larger baking bowl in the oven, lower-middle rack, and bake for about 30 minutes until the pudding mixture is fully set and the bread surface turns golden brown. Serve the bread pudding warm for the best experience. Adjust the baking time based on the thickness of the baking bowl and the oven temperature. Once the pudding mixture solidifies and no longer flows, it's ready. If doubling the recipe or using a larger baking dish, extend the baking time accordingly.
Bread pudding can be served as breakfast, a side dish, or a dessert. If you'd like to have warm bread pudding for breakfast, you can bake it the night before and reheat it in the microwave or oven the next morning.