I’m a fan of milk bread pudding. We used to make this at home when I was a child but instead of baking, the pudding was steamed. I discovered later that baking pudding gives it a light crust that makes a wonderful contrast with the soft and moist center. How I shifted from steaming to baking pudding is quite a story.
When we newly married and living with my in-laws, I remember my father-in-law and mother-in-law going to a niece’s wedding at a posh hotel. Dessert was brandied muffin-sized pudding teeming with glazed fruits and nuts. Almost like fruit cake. Delicious!
Just how did I know when I wasn’t at the wedding reception? Most guests didn’t touch the single-serve puddings apparently and they ended up being given to guests who cared for them. My in-laws came home with a bagful. I feasted. For days. Because no one else wanted them. I started baking my pudding after that.
So, these muffin-sized puddings… They were born because, over the holidays, my older daughter, Sam, baked Portuguese egg tarts and there was leftover custard. About two cups. Not much but enough to make pudding.
My husband soaked stale bread in the custard overnight. The next day, I used an immersion blender to break up large pieces of bread. Then, I stirred in dried cranberries, roasted pumpkin seeds and roasted sunflower seeds. And melted butter.
The mixture was spooned into rigid muffin liners and baked. Fifteen minutes at 350 and another five minutes with the top heat on. Lovely.
Okay, now the recipe. Since I used custard prepared by my daughter, I cannot provide her formula. However, I do have my own custard recipe and that’s what I am giving in the recipe below.
Muffin-sized milk bread pudding
Equipment
- 12 rigid muffin liners ¼ cup capacity
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup sweetened condensed milk
- ¾ cup evaporated milk
- ¼ cup melted butter
- 1 pinch salt only if butter is unsalted
- 3 cups chopped stale bread
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ⅓ cup roasted sunflower seeds
- ⅓ cup roasted pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milks, melted butter and salt.
- Add the bread and mix well.
- Cover the bowl with cling film and leave overnight in the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 350F with only the bottom heat on.
- (Optionally, process the mixture in a blender or with an immersion blender if you prefer smooth rather than chunky pudding.)
- Stir the cranberries and seeds into the pudding mixture.
- Arrange the rigid muffin liners on a tray so that they are at least two inches apart (to allow the heat to circulate well).
- Spoon the pudding into the liners until almost full.
- Bake at 350F for 15 minutes then turn on the top heat and continue baking for another five minutes.
- Serve the milk bread pudding while warm.
