Gary Rhodes’ Bread Pudding
- Daniel
- Apr 20, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: May 26
This is probably my favorite way to make use of stale bread. You can fight me if you want, but this is 10x better than French toast. I always go thru' my library of cookbooks (looking for inspirations) and 1 English recipe that's always stuck with me is Gary Rhodes' Bread Pudding. And yes! English cuisine is very underrated.
Bread pudding actually originated in England. It is popularized throughout the world with its own spins and twists. It has evolved into what it is today. People were asking me what I do with the batter after making French toast. Well, I usually pour the batter over layered buttered bread and make bread pudding.
But today, I decided to make bread pudding from scratch without the use of any leftover French toast batter. The trick to making great bread pudding is allowing the bread to soak up all the custard so that it will stay moist during the baking process. Crispy on the outside, moist soft custardy on the inside. Perfect!
Ingredients:
Inspired by Gary Rhodes
(Serve 2)
Stale Bread (I'm using wholemeal sandwich bread), 6 Slices
High Quality Salted Butter, For Spreading + More For Greasing
Any Dried Fruits (I'm using dried currants), 15g or More
Buttermilk, 300g
Egg Yolks, 70g
Granulated Sugar, 75g + More For Flambé
Brandy / Rum, 2 TBSP (Optional)
Equipment:
Baking Dish (I'm using an 8" rectangular dish)
Oven
Sauce Pot
Blowtorch
Directions:
Assemble the bread layers
Grease a baking dish with butter.
Butter each slice of stale bread.
Layer into the dish, overlapping as needed.
Sprinkle dried fruits between layers, but leave the top layer plain.
Set aside.
Prepare the custard
Simmer buttermilk in a sauce pot over medium heat.
In a large bowl, whisk yolks and sugar until pale and thick.
Gradually whisk in the hot buttermilk (1/4 at a time) to temper.
Transfer to a double boiler and whisk until thick enough to coat a spoon.
Let cool for 15 minutes.
Soak the pudding
Ladle custard over the bread until the dish is full.
Let sit at room temp for 2 hrs.
Chill overnight in the fridge.
Optional: If custard gets absorbed too quickly, top up after 1 hr at room temp.
Bake the pudding
Preheat oven to 120°C (250°F).
Place the baking dish in a tray and pour hot water into the tray.
Bake for 20–30 mins until sides are lightly browned and center is still jiggly.
Finish and serve
Optional: Flambé with liqueur.
Dust with sugar and caramelize using a blowtorch or broiler.
Spoon onto plates and pour any extra custard around the sides.
Garnish with more dried fruits.
Serve immediately.
The inside is still custardy...
Cwispy, soft, custardy...
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