After last Saturday’s farmers market, we shopped around town, and at Habits, co-owner Arcy Hawks proposed the brilliant idea of using our kouign amann pastry in bread pudding. Which reminded us of our recipe for the heartwarming mush.
Originally published in Dishing in December 2011, our bread pudding returns, better than ever, with Arcy’s epiphany as inspiration. Originally, we suggested interpreting the 1 lb of bread as a combination of our chocolate croissants and brioche cinnamon rolls, but we encourage you to experiment. This dish is adaptable to any stockpile of our flaky pastries, including our kouign amann. With summer’s bounty in mind, try topping your pudding with grilled peaches and a dollop of ice cream. And don’t discriminate against it as only dessert; greek yogurt turns it into a morning treat, bacon crumbles and sharp cheddar make it a savory side, or sneak spoonfuls anytime as a snack. We would love to hear about your adaptations; comment away!
So without further ado, we (re)present:
PERSEPHONE BREAD PUDDING
Ingredients
• 1 lb bread
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups cream
• 1 1/2 cups good bittersweet or dark chocolate, such as Valrhona
• 4 eggs
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 cup sugar
Instructions
• Turn oven to 3oo degrees.
• Cut the bread in 1/2 to 1 inch cubes; set to the side.
• Bring the cream to a boil and add chocolate, whisking until combined. Next, add milk and stir.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks and sugar. Temper the eggs by adding about a quarter cup of the warm dairy mixture, and whisk. Continue slowly whisking in the cream until completely combined.
• Pour the finished custard into a container large enough to fit all of the bread cubes. Place the cubes in the custard, fully coating each piece. Leave the container covered in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
• After refrigeration, pour the bread pudding into a greased pan and place in the oven for approximately two hours. Allowing the custard to set slowly in the oven will leave you with a deliciously moist bread pudding.
• Test to see if the pudding is done by placing a toothpick in the center. The toothpick should come out clean.