Thomas Keller's Leek Bread Pudding Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

Why is my bread pudding mushy? ›

If this has happened to you, you're probably making this common mistake: using bread that is too fresh. It may sound strange for a recipe to require stale bread, but, when it comes to bread pudding, this is actually essential.

' If you're wondering why it is called a pudding, it's because this dish includes a cereal base (the bread) and has a soft and spongy consistency after baking.

Stale bread holds its shape more easily when soaking up the custard mixture. Fresh bread tends to fall apart and turn to mush. If you don't have stale bread, you can heat cubed fresh bread in the oven to dry it out a bit.

To avoid dry bread, you need to let the bread soak in the custard for 10–30 minutes before baking it. You don't have to do anything to it during that time, except turn it over once with a spatula, but it's just a waiting game. During that time, you can properly preheat your oven.

Eggs: Make sure the eggs are well beaten into the yolks. This will help the bread absorb them and reduce the likelihood of a scrambled-egg texture winding up in your custard. Half-and-half: A rich, full-fat milk like half-and-half creates an indulgent bread pudding custard and sauce.

If your pudding is too thin, you may thicken it by adding cornstarch. To properly thicken instant pudding with almond milk, but you don't want to use cornstarch, you need to add a quarter cup more of the powdered pudding mix than in the original recipe.

The history of this dessert is pretty interesting. Legend has it that pudding chomeur (or pouding chômeur in French which means “unemployed-person pudding”) was created by female factory workers which used inexpensive staples they had on hand.

The dish is served with a fork AND a spoon so you can get every last bit of that heavenly sauce. Advice: Ditch the fork – it's completely superfluous – and dig in with the spoon!

The reason for using the word 'pudding' instead of dessert is actually based on the British class system. Traditionally, pudding referred to homely and rustic desserts that were commonly eaten by the lower classes, such as spotted dick and rice pudding.

Masterclass recommends covering your bread pudding with aluminum foil to protect the top from burning and removing it about 15 minutes before the end of the baking time so that the top can become appropriately crispy.

Is it OK to leave bread pudding out overnight? ›

Yes, you absolutely can.

It can be enjoyed straight out of the oven or cooled from the refrigerator (although I promise you, warmed-up is way better). I have also heard of a lot of people eating it as a breakfast dish, and I bet it is incredible with maple syrup and berries.

Bread pudding's magic is how the old, dried bread can be re-invigorated with a mixture of milk, eggs, and sugar that it soaks up like a sponge, but when the eggs aren't properly beaten you have a separation of the beaten yolk from the beaten whites which gives you the scrambled egg look and flavor.

Bake the Bread Pudding in a preheated 325º F degree oven for 50-to-55 minutes. The custard should be puffed and jiggle when you wiggle the dish. If you want an even crispier cubed or sliced topping, you could put the cooked bread pudding under the broiler for just a few minutes.

There is no one “right” way to make bread pudding, and its a matter of personal preference whether you prefer it to be gooey or not. The texture should be like a soft damp cake like mix and have a dense pudding like texture with a crunchy sugar top coating. Its best eaten cold like cake.

Pudding is usually runny because it has been stored in the refrigerator for too long or in an open space. Another cause could be due to improper cooking methods.

Heat it.

Put the bread in a cold oven, then turn the heat to 300° F. Let the loaf slowly heat up for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the density and dryness of the bread. Start checking the bread after 10 minutes.

The thickening agents within the pudding require sufficient time to gelatinize. Gelatinization is the process where starch granules absorb liquid and swell, creating the pudding's thick texture. When the pudding is not cooked long enough, starch granules do not fully expand, resulting in a mixture that is too liquid.