By By Lisa Tindell
It's all in the sauce. Seriously, I do believe that is true when it comes to bread pudding.
A friend at church asked me to help her find a good bread pudding recipe this week and that's what I've set out to do. And in my searches for the best recipe, I've found that most bread puddings are basically the same. Bread. Milk. Eggs. Sugar. And flavoring. That's pretty much it.
There are some variations that give the dish a little kick. Some folks add coconut, raisins, currants and sometimes other fruit. However, the basic remains the basic.
This first recipe is one that may not need any sauce at all. I do love coconut and this one includes coconut milk in the recipe. Since that is the liquid used in this particular version, I'm thinking it may be pretty rich and may not require any sauce.
Coconut Bread Pudding
2 tablespoons butter
One-third cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup white sugar
4 eggs
1 egg yolk
2 (14 ounce) cans coconut milk
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
One-fourth tsp. ground nutmeg
One-fourth tsp. salt
2 tablespoons coconut extract
1 and one-half cups flaked coconut, divided
One-half cup fresh coconut
1 (1 pound) loaf French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with butter, and dust with confectioners' sugar.
In a large bowl, combine sugar, eggs, egg yolk, coconut milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and coconut extract. Mix until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of flaked coconut, and one-half cup fresh coconut. Fold in bread cubes until evenly coated. Pour into prepared baking dish. Set aside for 30 minutes.
Bake on a cookie sheet in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Sprinkle top with remaining 1/2 cup flaked coconut. Continue baking for 25 to 30 minutes, or until center springs back when lightly tapped.
This next recipe is one that I stole from a cookbook in my vast collection. It is a basic recipe but does include a sauce recipe that might be good for other bread pudding recipes. Give this one a try.
The Best Bread Pudding
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
2 tsps. Vanilla extract
3 cups cubed Italian bread, cut and allowed to stale overnight in a bowl
1 cup packed light brown sugar
One-quarter cup butter, softened
1 cup chopped pecans
Sauce:
1 cup sugar
One half cup butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
2 tsps. Vanilla extract
one-fourth cup brandy
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9×13 pan. Mix together granulated sugar, eggs, and milk in bowl; add vanilla. Pour over cubed bread and let sit for 10 minutes. In another bowl, mix and crumble together brown sugar, butter and pecans. Pour bread mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over top and bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until set. Remove from oven.
For sauce, mix together sugar, butter, egg and vanilla in a saucepan. Over medium heat, stir together until sugar is melted. Add brandy, stirring well. Pour over bread pudding. Delicious served warm or cold.
If you have a good bread pudding recipe that you already enjoy making, you may be satisfied with what you have. In that case, you may appreciate another recipe for a sauce. This one includes some of my favorites, butter, chocolate and even a little brandy.
This recipe was originally intended to be served over ice cream, but is great over a basic bread pudding or even a slice of pound cake.
Hot Fudge Sauce
One-half cup butter
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
One-half cup light corn syrup
1 tbsp. rum or brandy OR one tsp. rum or brandy extract
In a small saucepan, combine butter, chocolate chips and corn syrup. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook slowly until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in rum or extract. Serve warm. Left-overs can be refrigerated for up to three weeks.
I hope that you enjoy finding new recipes. I love looking them up for you. If you are looking to prepare a particular dish and are in need of a specific recipe, be sure to let me know. I love a scavenger hunt!! You may email your request to me at lisa.tindell@brewtonstandard.com or give me a call at 867-4876.
Until next week, Happy Cooking!