Caramel Bread Pudding

Last weekend I hosted a family tea party to celebrate my dad's first death anniversary since he was a great lover of "high tea".  As with most high-teas I had made a variety of tea sandwiches which produced a lot of left-over bread, especially the end slices or uneven slices which had to be discarded.

In keeping with the theme of foods that my dad enjoyed I decided to make a bread pudding with the remaining bread. My dad had a sweet tooth and desserts were the highlight of his meals.  Surprisingly he really enjoyed the comforts of the not-so-glamorous bread pudding.

Bread puddings can be baked or steamed.  For this recipe, sugar is caramelized to provide a rich brown glaze on the pudding when it is removed from the mold. I also tried steaming the pudding in a pressure cooker so I was limited in the containers I could use.  I used a CorningWare dish which is heat resistant and can be transitioned from the microwave to the pressure cooker, and produced a simple round mold. One can add nuts or raisins to the ingredients if desired, but I kept this version plain.

Ingredients

For the caramel
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons water

For the pudding
approximately 3 cups of fresh breadcrumbs ( from 6 slices of bread, end pieces and crusts included)
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups of milk
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg ( or cinnamon)

Break the bread into bite sized pieces and place in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs

Method

For the caramel

Note: Use a microwave safe dish, and one that is oven proof as well.  A Pyrex or CorningWare dish is preferable.

Grease the dish well. I used a kitchen oil spray.
Add the sugar and water and gently stir to mix.  Put the dish in the microwave on high power for two 2- minute increments. After 4 minutes cook on high for 30 second increments and check until caramelized but not burned.  It should be a nice brown color.  It took me a total of 5 minutes to get the desired color.  Times will vary depending on individual microwaves. Leave aside to cool.

For the custard 

Measure the milk, and add the vanilla and nutmeg to it.  Mix and keep aside.

Break the eggs in a mixing bowl.

Add the sugar and whisk to mix. Whisk until the color changes to a lighter yellow.

Add the milk and mix well.

Add the breadcrumbs last and mix well.  Leave aside for 15 minutes to absorb.Pour the pudding into the dish with the caramel.

Cover the dish with foil and then place the lid on top.  This prevents steam from getting into the pudding.

Place a trivet in the base of the pressure cooker and add 2 cups of water (or as directed by your manufacturer for steaming.)  Gently place the dish on the trivet. Cover and lock the pressure cooker.  Program the cooker for steaming and allow 10 minutes cooking time.  Remove with tongs, careful not to burn yourself and check if a knife comes out clean when inserted in the center.  Return and steam for another 10 minutes if needed.  Although steaming custards in my electric XL pressure cooker was shown to take 7-10 minutes, my bread pudding took a total of 30 minutes to come out clean when a knife was inserted.

Remove and let stand for 10 minutes when done.  Invert on a plate and decorate with nuts if desired.

Note:  If steaming in the oven.  Place the covered dish in a pan with hot water that comes at least 1 inch up the sides of the dish .  Bake at 350F for 30-45 minutes, checking to see when done.


Approximate nutritional values based on 12 servings
calories 110.7/ Total fat 2.4 g/ total carbohydrates 18.1 g (12.5 g sugar)/ protein 4.3 g