A bread pudding can get a rep for being a bit too boring. But there is a strange soothing comfort that comes with bread pudding for me – perhaps its the nostalgia factor, or to be perfectly honest, it’s bread, cream and sugar – what can possibly go wrong here? Plus, its a warm loving dessert, perfect for cold nights. Here, I’ve upped the ante, with adding a cinnamon crunchy crust to the bread – this gives it a warm spiced feeling!
I used a homemade baguette bread which was two days old – but if you are using fersh bread, simply chop up the pieces and leave out for 4-6 hours. This portion was perfect for just 2 people. I also make a boozy bourbon sauce – recipe is here Bourbon Sauce
but vanilla ice cream, creme anglais or whipped cream would do just as well!

The Recipe
Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 1 small loaf of stale bread (6-inch baguette)
  • ¼ cup milk
  • ¼ cup cream
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp castor sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • pinch of salt
  • Cinnamon Crust Top
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • 2 tbsp melted butter
  • To Serve:
  • Bourbon Sauce (recipe on the website)
  • Vanilla ice cream
  • Crème anglais

Instructions

  • Cinnamon Crust Top:
  • Stir all the ingredients together to make a coarse texture
  • Bread Pudding:
  • Prepare a small baking pan or ramekins with melted butter
  • Preheat the oven to 180C
  • Chop the bread into bite size pieces
  • In a separate mixing bowl, make the custard by whisk the milk, cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt together until combined and smooth
  • Pour the custard mix over the bread chunks, ensuring at least ¼ of the bread chunks are exposed
  • Let the pan sit for 15 minutes, and see how much of the custard is soaked up, and add more custard if necessary
  • Then before baking, add the cinnamon crust top on top of the bread
  • Bake for 25-35 minutes, until the custard is set and tops is brown
  • Serve warm with Bourbon Sauce, crème anglaise or vanilla ice cream

Up Next

The recipes are tried and tested, some are adapted from various places, and a few are passed down; but every one of them comes straight from the heart.