Bing's Easy Bread Pudding
Bing's easy bread pudding is essentially a humble dessert. The rich, eggy custard gets absorbed by buttery cubes of bread, and as it bakes, it becomes golden and toasty on the top and soft and velvety on the interior. This recipe is one of my father's, Bing, specialities. One of the things I love most about it, is that there are a number of ways to jazz it up with add-ins and flavorings. You can easily turn it into a coconut, mega-chocolate, or zesty citrus version for example. The seemingly endless variations are part of the fun of making this dessert.
Servings: 8
Calories: 201kcal
Ingredients
- 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened and more for dish
- 6 to 7 cups lightly packed 1-inch bread cubes, preferably from a day-old Challah bread
- 2 ½ cups whole milk (or dairy-free milk)
- 1 cup heavy cream (or dairy-free cream)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- Confectioners’ sugar, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Butter an 2-quart glass or ceramic baking dish (or a baking dish that can hold 8-cups). Arrange the bread cubes in the baking dish (it should be almost completely filled.)
- In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, cream, sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt. Bring to a simmer, stirring until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted. Remove from the heat.
- Whisk the eggs and yolk together in a small bowl and slowly whisk in 1 cup of the warm milk mixture until blended. Return this mixture to the pan with the warm milk and whisk to blend. (You can whisk all of the eggs directly into the milk mixture if you let the milk mixture cool to room temperature first.)
- Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread. Let sit at room temperature, pressing down on it occasionally to submerge the bread in the custard, for at least 45 minutes and up to 24 hours. (Refrigerate if soaking for more than 2 hours; let sit at room temperature while the oven heats.)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake until the center of the pudding springs back when gently pressed with a finger and a knife inserted in the center comes out almost clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the dish to a wire the rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar.
Notes
Chocolate: Scatter 2 oz. finely chopped dark chocolate over the bread cubes. Increase the granulated sugar to 3⁄4 cup, and whisk 1⁄4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder into the milk mixture, then heat as directed.
Coconut-Citrus: In place of the milk and cream, use two well-shaken 13 to 14-oz. cans coconut milk, and add 2 tsp. finely grated citrus zest (lemon, lime, or orange)
Mocha: Add 1⁄4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder and 2 tsp. instant espresso powder to the milk mixture, then heat as directed.
Nutrition
Calories: 201kcal | Carbohydrates: 22.9g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9.9g | Cholesterol: 71.9mg | Sodium: 326.7mg | Sugar: 18.6g