Better Than Restaurant Bread Pudding Recipes

BETTER THAN RESTAURANT BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Carmel Sauce:.
• Combine the sugar and water in a heavy bottomed sauce pan that holds at least 2 1/2 quarts.Stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves, then raise the heat to medium and bring to a boil.Let the mixture boil until it begins to smoke and thicken. It will rise up in the pan, become very foamy and start emitting puffs of smoke.Drop in the butter and stir until it dissolves.Stir in the cream.Return to a boil, then turn off the heat and stir in the vinegar. Cool to lukewarm.
• Fruit:.
• Use 1 cup of chopped dried apricots. Place in a heavy saucepan and cover with water and add sugar. Stir, bring to a boil and continue to simmer for about 20 minutes or until the apricots are soft. (NOTE: You can use the dried fruit of choice but this is what we use. Also instead of the fresh apple, you can sub for half a cup of dehydrated apples, but not the crunchy type. You would want the soft chewy type, I believe they're called apple rings. I like using those better because they don't turn brown while you're chopping them. You would then add this type of apple to your apricot/sugar-water mixture.).
• Bread & Custard:.
• Preheat oven to 375°F Trim the crust off the french bread and cut into 1/2 inch slices and set aside. (truthfully, you don't have to trim the crust off, as long as you soak the break with the custard really well. It will be nice and soft and it does not effect the flavor at all.) Beat the eggs, flour, sugar for about 1 minute at medium speed. Add the cream and mix just enough to combine. Peel, quarter, core and grate the apple. Arrange the bread slices to cover the bottom of a 2 1/2 quart souffle dish. Do not overlap them, but at the same time try not to leave any spaces.Pour 1/3 of the custard over the bread making sure it is well soaked. Scatter the grated apple and apricot pieces over the bread, then drizzle caramel sauce over that.Repeat the bread, custard, apple, and apricot layering and end with the bread slices, custard over that and caramel on top. Bake 30 - 50 minutes until custard is set.
• *Note* Reserve any extra caramel sauce that you may have for later when you want to reheat your bread pudding -- if it makes it that far! If I have it i tend to garnish my bread pudding with chopped walnuts.

MOTHER'S RESTAURANT BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, break bread into small pieces by hand.
• In a separate mixing bowl, whisk eggs and pour over broken bread.
• Add fruit cocktail to bread and mix by hand.
• In a 6-quart saucepot on medium high heat, combine milk, cream, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla extract and butter and bring to a boil.
• Remove from heat and pour over bread mixture a little at a time careful not to scramble the egg mixture.
• Cover and let bread soak up the egg mixture thoroughly, approximately one hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• After an hour, check bread to make sure liquid is completely soaked into bread mixture.
• Mix by hand and break up any remaining hard bread pieces.
• Transfer bread pudding mixture into two 10 x 12 x 3 roasting pan 3/4 of the way to the top.
• Place in a 350 degree oven and bake until top is brown and center is cooked approximately 60 to 90 minutes.
• Be careful not to overcook.
• Serve hot and spoon bread pudding sauce over top (see recipe below).
• *SAUCE*In a 4-quart saucepot on medium heat, mix all ingredients together, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
• Simmer until butter clarifies and alcohol reduces, approximately 15 minutes.
• Remove from heat and spoon over bread pudding.
• Serve.

BEST EVER BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Prepare the pudding. Whisk eggs in a large mixing bowl to beat lightly. Whisk in milk, 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, heavy cream, butter, vanilla extract, and salt until evenly combined.
• Tear sourdough and brioche breads into bite-sized pieces. Add both breads to the custard mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until well coated. Allow to stand at room temperature and soak for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter.
• After soaking, spoon bread mixture into the prepared baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 55 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons white sugar, remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl.
• Remove the pudding from the oven and sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the top. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Return pudding to the oven and bake until firm with a lightly crisped top, about 6 minutes. Cool at least 20 minutes before slicing.
• While pudding cools, prepare the sauce. Beat egg in a small mixing bowl. Whisk in the heavy cream.
• Combine sugar and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Remove saucepan from heat. While rapidly whisking the butter and sugar mixture, slowly pour in the beaten egg and cream mixture, whisking until entirely incorporated. Whisk in bourbon and return to medium heat. Cook, whisking constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in salt.
• Cut the pudding into squares and serve with warm bourbon sauce.