Transforming Stale Bread into Special Sweets: Two Tasty Pudding Recipes to Try

One day you find yourself with a surplus of stale bread or a loaf that's well past its prime. It's not soft anymore but it's also not moldy. So what do you do? You create a bread and butter pudding. These are timeless desserts that not only transform leftover bread into something delightful but also offer you a chance to experiment with different flavors.

Another advantage of bread puddings if they are adaptable to a variety of dietary preferences and restrictions. You can make them dairy-free or vegan and even gluten-free, especially if you have grain-free bread. 

Bread pudding is a fantastic way to reduce food waste. Instead of chucking leftover bread in the bin because you think it doesn't have any use left, you can give it life by transforming it into a comforting treat. Enjoy straight out of the oven with some whipped cream, or ice cream, or even some custard. Here are some ideas:

Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

For the pudding:

• 4 eggs
• 710 ml milk
• 200 g sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 360 g stale white bread
• 212.5 g chopped chocolate of your choice
• 120 g coarsely chopped walnuts or almonds

For the brown sugar sauce:

• 200 g packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 120 ml water
• 160 ml cream
• 60 ml corn syrup
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

• Cube the stale white bread, then dry it in your oven set at 150 C for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Then crank the temperature to 176 C to preheat, and grease a baking tin with butter or oil.
• Add eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla to a large bowl, then add the crisp and dry bread cubes to this. Give the cubes a good soak.
• Then add chopped chocolate and chopped nuts too. 
• Transfer the soaked bread into the greased vessel and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes. The top should be golden brown, and a toothpick or knife should come out clean when you insert it.
• For the brown sugar sauce, add packed brown sugar, cornstarch, water, cream, corn syrup, and butter. 
• Whisk to dissolve the brown sugar, and cook this mixture on medium heat for about 5-6 minutes or until it’s just about to come to a boil.
• Keep stirring for 2 more minutes and then take it off heat. At this point add the vanilla extract.
• Serve the bread pudding warm with this brown sugar sauce, and some vanilla ice cream.

Chocolate Ganache Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

• 140 g coarsely chopped Cadbury Bournville 70% Dark Chocolate
• 300 ml heavy cream
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• 225 g bread, cut into cubes
• 240 ml milk
• 150 g sugar
• 6 egg yolks
• 3 tbsp Cadbury Cocoa Powder
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 162 C then start work on the chocolate ganache.
• Add 70 g coarsely chopped Bournville into a bowl, then warm ¼ cup of heavy cream in a saucepan. Pour it over the chocolate bits, and mix well to get a smooth and glossy sauce.
• Then butter your baking dish.
• Melt the rest of the butter, and then toss the cubed bread, ensuring that all of it is covered. You can also dry the bread in the oven, as mentioned in the previous recipe.
• Heat the remaining cup of heavy cream, milk, and 6 tablespoons of sugar. Bring this to a boil. Then add the remaining chocolate and let it melt.
• In a bowl, add the remaining sugar with egg yolks, cocoa, vanilla, and salt until a paste forms. Add the warm chocolate cream into this.
• Then add the toasted, butter bread into the custard and toss. Let it sit in the custard for 10 minutes.
• Transfer the custard soaked bread in your buttered baking dish. 
• Add dollops of ganache over it and then bake for about 35 minutes. 
• Take the baking dish out of the oven and let it cool down slightly before serving with some ice cream.