I think bread pudding has to be one of the most comforting desserts you can enjoy, especially during the winter months, when the thermometer is dipping down low and we want something to warm us up.
Often in day gone by it would be a common dessert served for school dinners. This was not only because it was fairly economical, but also because it made great use of stale bread so that there was no waste.
One of the nice things about it is that you can use just about any bread or even stale cake to make it. Croissants, brioche, French bread, etc. even donuts!
Yes, you heard that right, donuts! And it doesn't matter what kind of donuts you have, so long as they are plain. They can be yeast or they can be cake. Today I happened to have some stale cake donuts and so I used them with excellent results.
If you don't have stale donuts, just take some donuts and leave them sitting out on the countertop over night. They will be perfect for this pudding at that point.
You will be slicing the donuts in half horizontally through the middle and filling them with jam. You can use any kind of jam which you enjoy. Today I used cherry.
But any kind of jam will work, even lemon curd. Its whatever you happen to enjoy or have on hand.
I love these old fashioned types of puddings. They never go out of fashion. As enjoyable today in the early 21st century as they were in the early 20th or 19th, or dare I say it, 18th.
They are timeless. Do note that this is a small batch recipe. To feed more than three people simply double the amount of ingredients.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE DONUT & JAM BREAD PUDDING
Its simple really.
- 3 stale donuts (either cake or yeast) (cake will give you a softer finish)
- 1 large free range egg, plus 1 egg yolk
- pinch salt
- 3 tsp your favorite jam (today I used cherry)
- 1/4 cup (50g) sugar
- 1 1/4 cups (300ml) whole milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- few drops almond extract (goes wonderfully with fruit)
- 2 or 3 TBS flaked almonds
- sugar to sprinkle
- boiling water
Seriously nothing is more comforting than this pudding.
I can hear people thinking, who has leftover or stale donuts? Well, if you happen to live by yourself as I do, or if you are only two people in your household, then it is quite likely that you do!
We can get these lovely donuts here in Nova Scotia. Mrs Dunster's donuts and they are lovely. Just like the ones grandma used to bake, but they come in a bag holding one dozen, and that's how I end up with stale donuts.
I know . . . I should just freeze them!
HOW TO MAKE DONUT & JAM BREAD PUDDING
Seriously nothing could be easier. You really cannot mess this up, unless you make the mistake of overbaking it.
You want to take it out of the oven while there is still a slight jiggle in the center, but even if you happen to over cook it, it will still be deliciously edible.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. You will need a small casserole dish large enough to hold the doughnuts, halved snugly together, and a larger casserole dish large enough to hold the smaller dish. Butter the small one.Whisk the eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla and almond together in a bowl.
Warm the milk over medium heat in a small saucepan just until there are bubbles around the edges. (You can also do this in the microwave, about 1 1/2 minutes.)
Slowly whisk the warm milk into the egg and sugar mixture until well amalgamated.
Cut the donuts in half through the middle horizontally. Sandwich each donut back together with a tsp of jam in the middle and then cut into two crosswise. Place the donut arches into the smaller of the casserole dishes, fitting them in next to each other. Mine fit into my dish in two rows of three halves.
Pour the egg custard over top. Place the filled casserole dish into the larger casserole dish and pour in boiling water making sure that it comes halfway up the side of the smaller dish.
Sprinkle the flaked almonds over top and then sprinkle with a bit of granulated sugar.Pop the whole lot into the preheated oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the custard is set. (A knife inserted near the center should come out clean.)Sprinkle with some icing sugar and serve warm.
And that's it. Your dessert is ready. This is beautiful served warm. I like to dust the top with just a bit of icing sugar to pretty it up. Its soft and indulgent, rich even.
The outside is a bit crisp both from where the donuts crisp up a bit on top and from the flaked almonds. The middles nice and sweet from the jam.
Of course the British way to eat this is spooned into a bowl with some cream or custard poured around and drizzled over top. In North America you might be more inclined to enjoy it with a scoop of ice cream.
The fact is, you will enjoy it. No matter what you spoon over top, even if you don't spoon anything on at all. Yummity yum!!
Donut & Jam Bread Pudding
Yield: 3Author: Marie RaynerPrep time: 15 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 45 MinThis is comfort food pure and simple and a great way to use up stale donuts.Ingredients
- 3 stale donuts (either cake or yeast)
- 1 large free range egg, plus 1 egg yolk
- pinch salt
- 3 tsp your favorite jam (I used cherry)
- 1/4 cup (50g) sugar
- 1 1/4 cups (300ml) whole milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- few drops almond extract
- 2 or 3 TBS flaked almonds
- sugar to sprinkle
- boiling water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. You will need a small casserole dish large enough to hold the doughnuts, halved snugly together, and a larger casserole dish large enough to hold the smaller dish. Butter the small one.
- Whisk the eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla and almond together in a bowl.
- Warm the milk over medium heat in a small saucepan just until there are bubbles around the edges. (You can also do this in the microwave, about 1 1/2 minutes.)
- Slowly whisk the warm milk into the egg and sugar mixture until well amalgamated.
- Cut the donuts in half through the middle horizontally. Sandwich each donut back together with a tsp of jam in the middle and then cut into two crosswise. Place the donut arches into the smaller of the casserole dishes, fitting them in next to each other. Mine fit into my dish in two rows of three halves.
- Pour the egg custard over top. Place the filled casserole dish into the larger casserole dish and pour in boiling water making sure that it comes halfway up the side of the smaller dish.
- Sprinkle the flaked almonds over top and then sprinkle with a bit of granulated sugar.
- Pop the whole lot into the preheated oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the custard is set. (A knife inserted near the center should come out clean.)
- Sprinkle with some icing sugar and serve warm.
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