Bread Pudding and Sauce
Tonight's supper was Bambi Stew and biscuits, with Bread Pudding and Sauce for dessert. I am quite pleased by how this recipe turned out.
Bread Pudding and Sauce
Ingredients:
2 stale hard rolls (about 3 1/2 cups torn bread)
2 1/3 cups half-and-half
5 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup half-and-half
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 tablespoon flour
1/2 tablespoon tapioca powder
pinch of salt
Directions:
Tear the hard rolls into bite-sized chunks and put them in a medium bowl. If they are not fully stale, do this several hours in advance and let the pieces sit in the bowl (covered by a dry cloth) to air-dry further.
Pour 2 1/3 cups half-and-half into a medium pot. Heat on medium heat until a skin forms on the surface.
Cut 5 tablespoons of butter into chunks. Microwave for 30-60 seconds to soften. Add butter to hot half-and-half. Stir gently until butter is fully melted. Move pot off heat and allow to cool until lukewarm.
Meanwhile, put 1/3 cup light brown sugar, 3 eggs, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract into a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat them together on medium speed for one minute. Slowly add half-and-half mixture, continuing to beat the batter. Set aside briefly.
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Spray a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Distribute the torn bread in an even layer in the casserole dish. Pour the batter over the bread. Use a spatula to scrape out the mixing bowl and gently press down the bread pieces so they soak up the batter thoroughly. Allow to set for about 10 minutes.
Bake at 350ºF for 45-50 minutes. Bread pudding should set and the top should turn golden brown when done. Remove bread pudding from oven and set the casserole dish on a cooling rack.
In a medium pot, combine 1/3 cup half-and-half, 1/3 cup water, 2 tablespoons butter, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 tablespoon flour, 1/2 tablespoon tapioca powder, and a pinch of salt. Heat to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 3-4 minutes, still stirring, until sauce thickens. It should develop a sticky consistency and make strings when the spoon is lifted from the pot. Pour sauce evenly over the surface of the bread pudding, and serve.
Notes:
For this bread pudding I used some leftover hard rolls with sesame seeds on top. This kind of roll is about fist sized with a rather dry texture. Two of them work well for this recipe and they soak up the batter very nicely.
Half-and-half makes a rich bread pudding that is not overly sweet.
Tapioca powder is a wonderful thickener that makes glossy, cohesive, slightly sweet sauces or gels. You can find little bags of it in international food stores or sometimes in the Asian aisle at a grocery store. Another option is to pulverize pearl tapioca to a fine powder. If you don’t have tapioca powder, however, you can just use 1 tablespoon flour.
This bread pudding comes out with a delicate custard texture, almost like flan, rather than the doughy texture of some bread puddings. It is rich and delicious, and also extremely filling. A little bit goes a long way, so dish out small servings at first and let people go back for more if they want to (or can).
Since this recipe was made entirely from leftover hard rolls and basic kitchen supplies, it probably included about $1-2 worth of ingredients.
Banana-Caramel Version: Put half the bread pieces into a 2-quart casserole dish. Slice one or two bananas (which should be going brown and soft) and arrange the slices evenly over the bread. Sprinkle a handful of caramel bits over the bananas. Add the rest of the bread pieces. Sprinkle with another handful of caramel bits. Follow remainder of standard instructions.
Pear-Ginger Version: Put half the bread pieces into a 2-quart casserole dish. Pour about a cup of stewed ginger pears (preferably frozen-and-thawed) evenly over the bread. Add the rest of the bread pieces. When making the batter, use 1 1/2 teaspoons Saigon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon allspice. Pour on batter and bake per standard instructions. When making the topping, add 1 tablespoon grated ginger root (fresh or frozen).
Bread Pudding and Sauce
Ingredients:
2 stale hard rolls (about 3 1/2 cups torn bread)
2 1/3 cups half-and-half
5 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup half-and-half
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 tablespoon flour
1/2 tablespoon tapioca powder
pinch of salt
Directions:
Tear the hard rolls into bite-sized chunks and put them in a medium bowl. If they are not fully stale, do this several hours in advance and let the pieces sit in the bowl (covered by a dry cloth) to air-dry further.
Pour 2 1/3 cups half-and-half into a medium pot. Heat on medium heat until a skin forms on the surface.
Cut 5 tablespoons of butter into chunks. Microwave for 30-60 seconds to soften. Add butter to hot half-and-half. Stir gently until butter is fully melted. Move pot off heat and allow to cool until lukewarm.
Meanwhile, put 1/3 cup light brown sugar, 3 eggs, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract into a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat them together on medium speed for one minute. Slowly add half-and-half mixture, continuing to beat the batter. Set aside briefly.
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Spray a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Distribute the torn bread in an even layer in the casserole dish. Pour the batter over the bread. Use a spatula to scrape out the mixing bowl and gently press down the bread pieces so they soak up the batter thoroughly. Allow to set for about 10 minutes.
Bake at 350ºF for 45-50 minutes. Bread pudding should set and the top should turn golden brown when done. Remove bread pudding from oven and set the casserole dish on a cooling rack.
In a medium pot, combine 1/3 cup half-and-half, 1/3 cup water, 2 tablespoons butter, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 tablespoon flour, 1/2 tablespoon tapioca powder, and a pinch of salt. Heat to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 3-4 minutes, still stirring, until sauce thickens. It should develop a sticky consistency and make strings when the spoon is lifted from the pot. Pour sauce evenly over the surface of the bread pudding, and serve.
Notes:
For this bread pudding I used some leftover hard rolls with sesame seeds on top. This kind of roll is about fist sized with a rather dry texture. Two of them work well for this recipe and they soak up the batter very nicely.
Half-and-half makes a rich bread pudding that is not overly sweet.
Tapioca powder is a wonderful thickener that makes glossy, cohesive, slightly sweet sauces or gels. You can find little bags of it in international food stores or sometimes in the Asian aisle at a grocery store. Another option is to pulverize pearl tapioca to a fine powder. If you don’t have tapioca powder, however, you can just use 1 tablespoon flour.
This bread pudding comes out with a delicate custard texture, almost like flan, rather than the doughy texture of some bread puddings. It is rich and delicious, and also extremely filling. A little bit goes a long way, so dish out small servings at first and let people go back for more if they want to (or can).
Since this recipe was made entirely from leftover hard rolls and basic kitchen supplies, it probably included about $1-2 worth of ingredients.
Banana-Caramel Version: Put half the bread pieces into a 2-quart casserole dish. Slice one or two bananas (which should be going brown and soft) and arrange the slices evenly over the bread. Sprinkle a handful of caramel bits over the bananas. Add the rest of the bread pieces. Sprinkle with another handful of caramel bits. Follow remainder of standard instructions.
Pear-Ginger Version: Put half the bread pieces into a 2-quart casserole dish. Pour about a cup of stewed ginger pears (preferably frozen-and-thawed) evenly over the bread. Add the rest of the bread pieces. When making the batter, use 1 1/2 teaspoons Saigon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon allspice. Pour on batter and bake per standard instructions. When making the topping, add 1 tablespoon grated ginger root (fresh or frozen).