Trend watch: bread pudding

By Chef Dalia

Bread pudding is having its moment of glory on restaurant menus these days. Bread pudding seems to be finally gaining fame like it did in the past, following the nostalgic food trend for 2022. Today, bread puddings have been lifted from their original peasant status to gourmet dishes that make use of a variety of ingredients that range from fruits and nuts to various sweet and savory fillings.

Just the name “bread pudding” brings to mind homey images of gingham checkerboard tablecloths and grandma’s kitchen or, at the very least, an out-ofdate recipe. But recently, this somewhat ordinary dessert, traditionally a means for reusing day-old bread, has made its way from the recipe card to the menus of some fine dining restaurants.

Today, bread pudding is popular throughout the United States. It can be sweet or savory, served at any time of the day, including breakfast, as a side or even the main entree. And while any bread pudding can be served plain, most sweet varieties are served with sauces — vanilla and chocolate crème outside or fruit sauces such as banana or berries.

Question: Is there anything better than homemade bakery-style bread puddings? The answer: nope, this is the best! And that’s that. This rich treat is oozing with a sweet, creamy center, totally calling your name. Put this treat at the top of your “to-make” list, now!

Growing up, my mother made bread pudding a few times a year — on holidays’ eve as an appetizer. She always said, “If you can’t eat dessert first on holidays’ eve… then when?” God, I love that woman.

When we were very young, my sister, brother and I would patiently sit at our little breakfast bar — propped up dangerously on both knees for the best view — watching my mother cut the bread, fill it with creamy chocolate and sometimes sweet jam or raisins and then, quite dramatically, once she had all the ingredients together, put it in the oven. It was quite a show!

Each year as we grew, our part helping in the magical bread pudding-making process progressed. It took me until I was 14 years old to bake my very own but, since that day, I’ve made them just like mom, at least once a year. Ok, maybe more than once! More like 10 times a year.

Bread pudding is one of my absolute favorite desserts. It’s easy to make and is one of those great dishes you can whip up with all that leftover bread hanging out in your freezer. I have fond memories of my mother making batches of bread pudding with the “ends” of the bread that my brother, sister and I would never eat.

Now, as an adult, I love experimenting with different kinds of breads in my bread pudding, and it should come as no surprise that my favorite kind of bread to use for bread pudding is challah.

Growing up in Israel, I remember eating challah bread every single week. I love bread (any bread) a lot, and I am a big fan of challah bread. My grandma used to make the softest, most delicious challah bread for us. We ate sliced challah bread for breakfast with chocolate milk; we ate it with a jelly spread, we made the dough with cinnamon, chocolate and raisins… My mouth is watering just saying these words out loud!

Personal Chef Dalia Hemed can be reached at daliahemed@msn.com.

The best moments in life are when you realize you don’t have to choose between two or three things you love, and this challah bread pudding and chocolate is exactly one of those moments.

I made this amazing challah-chocolate bread pudding this past weekend. The dessert is a powerful one; it was honestly a thing of glory.

My husband said living with a chef has some obvious benefits, some of which include taste-testing and spatula licking. But this was a gift for him. I mean, just from the look at how sweet that bread pudding is. You’ll want to have your camera ready when it arrives. Top with some whipped cream and white chocolate shavings to make it extra rich, or with a scoop of halvah ice cream.

There is no better way to end 2022. Happy and sweet New Year!

Chocolate Bread Pudding

Ingredients • 4 large eggs • ¾ cup sugar • 2 cups half-and-half or milk • 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted • dash of salt • 1 tbsp vanilla extract • ½ tsp. ground cinnamon • ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks • 1 loaf challah bread, cut into 1-inch cubes • Powdered sugar, for dusting • Whipped cream, for garnish • White chocolate shavings (optional)

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Add the milk or half and half, melted butter, salt, vanilla, cinnamon and chocolate chunks.

2. Toss challah cubes with the custard, making sure all the cubes are well coated. Transfer the cubes to a 9×13 baking dish, cover lightly with plastic wrap, and allow it to sit for 20 minutes. This will ensure that the bread really soaks up the egg custard mixture.

3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350o Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour or until still slightly jiggly but not liquid.

4. Serve warm with powdered sugar dusted on top, whipped cream and white chocolate shavings for an extra joyful treat.

Chef notes

If your bread is still fresh and not dried out, you can cube into smaller pieces, place them on a baking sheet and pop in the oven for about 8 to 10 minutes. You don’t want to completely toast the bread, just dry it out.

I prefer to lightly beat the eggs before mixing them into the wet ingredients. This isn’t necessary but does help to ensure that the eggs are thoroughly combined.