Bread pudding is a dessert made with bread, milk, eggs, sugar, and spices. It originated from medieval England and is a great way to use stale bread. There are many variations, including using different types of bread and adding fruit. It can be served hot or cold with a variety of sauces.
Bread pudding is a dessert dish made with bread, milk, eggs, sugar, and an assortment of spices. It is especially associated with holidays and is often extremely rich and flavorful. There are several variations of the basic bread pudding, most of which are relatively easy to make at home, and there are nearly endless permutations of spices and additions that can make bread pudding different every time it’s made. The dish is very popular in England and the Southern United States, although it also grows in other regional cuisines.
The roots of bread pudding are probably ancient. Most cooks have come up with creative ways to use up stale bread rather than wasting it. Most of these techniques involved soaking the bread in a liquid such as milk, broth or water and seasoning it to make the resulting dish more exciting. In medieval England, such dishes were known as “sops” and were often used for invalids or people with bad teeth. Bread chunks also make a great thickener for a pudding, so bread pudding probably arose naturally in several places at once.
The basis of bread pudding is cubed bread, which is traditionally stale. Modern cooks also use an assortment of fresh and unusual breads, such as brioche. The bread is mixed with milk and butter, along with an assortment of spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Often, dried or candied fruit is also mixed into the bread pudding, for extra flavor and texture. The pudding is typically cooked until the bread starts to get crispy. Some cooks like to place the bread pudding pan inside a larger pan filled with water, creating a bath that keeps the bread pudding moist and tasty.
Once cooked, the bread pudding can be drizzled with a sauce. Many bread pudding sauces involve alcohol such as whiskey or rum, although caramel and other flavors can also be used. When the sauce uses alcohol as a component, it is known as a “hard” sauce. The combination of the sweet and tangy bread pudding and gravy is a rich way to end a foody evening.
Some cooks serve their bread pudding hot, while others prefer to serve it cold. Cold bread pudding can be made in individual molds and made into dishes, while hot bread pudding is often served straight from the pan. Likewise, sauces can be hot or cold, depending on personal taste.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
