by Germaine Jenkins

Created on: October 30, 2010

Once upon a time, stale bread, a few eggs, milk and sugar was all you needed to turn lost bread into comfort food heaven. This rustic dessert is now a popular staple in fancy restaurants around the globe. Luckily, with a little baking science know how, you can learn how to make gourmet bread pudding without a Food Network pedigree. Science also comes in handy when adjusting your favorite bread pudding recipe to meet special dietary needs that will still satisfy most sugar fanatics.

Good old fashioned bread is the foundation of any bread pudding recipe. The staleness gives the pudding body while a fresh loaf will disintegrate into mushy obscurity. In the “Toast Modern Part 1” episode of Good Eats, Alton Brown suggests allowing bread to dry out for 8 hours to achieve the desired texture. If you do not have the time to dry your bread, a brief toasting should do the trick. Bread can also impact the flavor of the bread pudding. Plain white bread or baguettes are fine, but you can up the ante with a leftover Challah loaf, dried out croissants, or a Hawaiian bread round. Bagels, ciabatta, sourdough and raisin breads are also great carbohydrate contenders. Sneak in whole wheat or multi-grain bread for a fibrous boost. Ezekiel bread makes bread pudding a reality for vegans or people living with Celiac disease.

Milk, eggs, sugar and butter combine to contribute moisture, creaminess and flavor to bread pudding. But like the bread, the custard variations are limitless. If you are looking for a whole milk alternative, skim evaporated milk lends a familiar creaminess as does soy, almond, rice or even coconut milk. White sugar can be replaced with brown sugar, molasses, honey, and agave nectar or even pancake syrup in a pinch. You can skip the sugar altogether by replacing some of the milk with a can of fat free sweetened condensed milk. If you desire decadence, egg nog will not disappoint. Egg whites or egg substitute can do the job just as any butter substitute like margarine or vegetable oil. Warm up the custard and watch your bread pudding blossom.

Layer flavor in your bread pudding for that extra oomph. Raisins are great but they only scratch the surface of fruit and flavor combinations to ponder. Mashed ripe bananas, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin (they also make great egg substitutes for vegans and food allergy sufferers) work well and bring added nutrition and moisture to the dessert table. Diced and sautéed apples, peaches, pears, vanilla, butter and rum extracts all deserve attention.

The two greatest benefits of learning how to make bread pudding spectacular is that it’s relatively simple and cheap. With a new perspective on ingredients, your homemade bread pudding can be elevated to restaurant level in a flash.

Additional Sources:

“Toast Modern Part 2” episode of Good Eats

Wiki how’s "How to Replace Eggs in Your Cooking" article for more egg substitution ideas (http://www.wikihow.com/Replace-Eggs-in-Your-Cooking) .

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