Caramel Bread Pudding

This dish is so good that I had to hold my self back from eating the entire dish.  A new Sunday morning favorite has just arrived.  I inevitably always have left over Challah.  We start our weekend, each Friday night by celebrating Shabbat dinner, thus having Challah.  Eli usually gets egg in the hole on Saturday mornings, Isaac and Levi like it toasted with a little cinnamon butter smeared on top and sometimes I make croutons or bread crumbs with the left overs.  

Last night, I was watching an episode of Nigella Lawson.  She was making a caramel croissant bread pudding.  Bingo.  I was inspired to use up our challah and make something similar for breakfast.  I changed it a bit yet I am sure the results are just as good as the original!  

Caramel-Challah Bread Pudding

adapted from nigella lawson (original recipe here )

yield: 4-6 servings

ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

3 Tbls. water

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 milk

2 eggs

1 tps. vanilla

pinch of fleur de sel

handful of chocolate chips ( I used bittersweet)

handful of slivered almonds - toasted

stale bread - enough to cover an 8 x 8 porcelain baking dish

instructions:

• preheat oven to 350*.  butter an 8 x 8 porcelain baking dish

• put water and sugar in a heavy duty pan.  swirl a bit to combine.  place over medium high heat and caramelize the sugar.  the mixture will start to bubble.  don't walk away, this process happens very fast.  you want the mixture to turn a light amber color.

• take the pan off the heat and slowly pour in the cream, little by little, whisking as you pour.  once combined add the milk.  let the mixture cool a bit.

• while the mixture is cooling, butter your baking dish.  cut up your challah and scatter in pan.  add chocolate chips.  set aside

• add milk to cooled caramel.  add eggs and whisk quickly.  add a pinch of fleur de sel.  pour over bread and submerge the custard to cover all the bread.  let sit for 10 minutes so the custard soaks into the bread.

• sprinkle the top with almonds and dust with a little sugar.

• bake for 20 minutes or until the custard sets.

• serve, dusted with powdered sugar!

So good!

Chocolate Bread Pudding

I had two 1/2 challah's in my freezer and I needed the space. I had froze them hoping that I had a reason to make bread pudding using the remnants of past Shabbat dinners. I got the urge and tonight was that night.

I love bread pudding but it is so rich. I feel my thighs expanding with each bite that enters my mouth. That's why I had only one bite with a little dab of french vanilla ice cream. Really, really good with the ice cream. Wouldn't really recommend it without it.

Bread pudding is a really easy, quick dessert option. I took the challah's out of the freezer and cut them in one inch cubes. Toasted them in the oven for 10 minutes and then started making the custard. This recipe is so gooooood. You can't eat too much of this without falling into a deep, dark, sugar coma. Hell, it's worth it.

I made this recipe in a 13 x 9" pan. After it cooled to room temperature I cut them in to 3" circles. This way everyone felt as though they had individual servings. I took the scraps from the pan and I am freezing them. Anyone out there have any suggestions or ideas on what to do with the scraps, I am open!

Need to go to bed so I can wake up in the morning and have chocolate bread pudding french toast. Might even make a little chocolate ganache to drizzle over it.

Night Night!

ingredients:

12 oz bread (brioche or challah)

1/2 cup raisins or dried cherries (I omitted cuz of the kids)

3 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

3 large eggs

4 large egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

6 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

directions:

1. have a 9 x 13" baking pan ready and a large roasting pan. Line roasting pan with paper towels.

Pre-heat oven to 350*.

2. Cut bread into one inch pieces. If not "stale" toast in oven on a baking tray for about 10 minutes.

3. If using the fruit, toss bread crumbs with it.

4. Bring milk and cream just to a boil.

5. Boil some water. when boils, set a side. Whisk eggs, yolks & sugar together in a bowl. While whisking, slowly add a little of the hot milk to the eggs. Do this slowly to avoid scrambling the eggs. Once the egg mixture is tempered slowly pour the remainder of the milk. Add the chocolate and whisk until it melts and the custard is smooth.

6. Pour the custard over the bread and press the bread gently with the back of a spoon. Let sit for 3o minutes.

7. Put bread pudding pan inside roasting pan and put in the oven. Once level, pour the hot water around the outer edge of the bread pudding, filling the roasting pan up about 1/2" - 1". Bake for 35-45 minutes. The top should be dull and dry. Cool on a wire rack. Remove roasting pan.

Challah Bread Pudding

Today we had plans to go to our friends for breakfast. Lisa and I choose to split up the cooking responsibility. She was in charge of eggs (a yummy baked egg dish with cheese, green chili's and egg - of course), fruit and juice. I offered to make a bread pudding as I had tons of left over challah in the freezer. We also picked up bagels, lox and cream cheese.

I have been saving challahs. Usually, I freeze them and then when I get around to it, I make bread crumbs and croutons. When Lisa and I decided we would get together for breakfast, I immediately said, let me make a bread pudding.

I love Tartine bakery and subsequently, love the cookbook as well. I have been in the bakery and have watched people order the bread pudding for breakfast, but never had the guts to order it. Didn't want to eat that many calories so early in the day. Hence, have wanted to make it for a crowd so I could I have a teeny, weeny little bite. Glad I made it and glad I had my teeny, weeny little bite!

The recipe calls for brioche. Challah and brioche are so similar that I knew it would work. I also made a cranberry type sauce to go over it. The kids preferred it with maple syrup.

Challah Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

6 slices brioche, 1" thick

8 large eggs

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

4 cups whole milk

1/2 tsp. salt

directions:

1. Butter a 9 x 5" glass loaf dish

2. Arrange brioche slices on a baking sheet and put in a preheated 350* oven for 4-10 minutes (you want it to be slightly toasted). Let cool.

3. To make the custard, mix eggs with a whisk. Add the sugar until smooth. Add the milk, vanilla & salt. Whisk until incorporated. Pour the custard through a fine mesh sieve held over a large measuring cup (for easy pouring).

4. Place the toasted bread slices in the prepared loaf pan (for a larger crowd, I put in a round souffle dish and it puffed up and was beautiful). Pour the custard evenly over the bread, filling to the top. You may not be able to add all the custard at this point. Let sit about 10 minutes so the bread can absorb the liquid.

At this point, I made it, covered it an put in the fridge. I prepped the night before, which was brilliant.

Cover and refrigerate the left over custard as well. Just before baking add more custard. You want to use all the custard.

5. Cover the dish with foil and place in the oven, on a baking sheet, and bake for an hour. If it was in the fridge, it will take an additional 20-30 minutes. To test for done-ness, uncover the dish, slip a knife into the center and putsh the bread aside. If the the custard is still liquid, recover and bake for 10 more minutes or so.

Let cool and serve.

Cranberry Sauce

ingredients:

1 cup cranberries

1/4 + 2 tbsp. sugar

1/4 cup water

2 1/2 tsp. corn starch

directions:

Put all in a heavy duty pot and bring to a boil. Once boiled, swirl pan for a minute or so until it thickens. Take off heat. The fruit will thicken as it cools. Pour over the bread pudding.

So yummy!