KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 31 – Pantry raiding is one of my favourite weekend activities. Some might argue this smacks of desperation, but I call it getting creative with what you already have in your kitchen.
After all, I have always been a big proponent of “waste not, want not” – from using leftover meat from soups and stocks to make my own meat floss to turning a surplus of blueberries into a vanilla spiced berry compote.
There’s nothing worse than clearing one’s fridge or freezer one day and discovering a multitude of good food way past their expiry date. What a waste!
(Bonus benefit of doing a pantry stock check on the weekends; you get to avoid the crowds at your local supermarkets when everyone is out doing their groceries.)
But sometimes you do end up scratching your head when the quantities of the ingredients are neither here nor there.
A few slices of sourdough bread. Some slabs of focaccia leftover from a sandwich making session. And a single croissant, frozen for that one morning when you’d remember its existence and remember to reheat it in the oven for breakfast.
Nothing too inspiring until I realised that these are all just variations of bread. And what’s better to make with stale or leftover bread than a bread pudding?
So this is how I came up with my idea for the ultimate bread pudding – made with sourdough, focaccia and croissants!
Add a heap of goodies as toppings (or “fillings” to be exact) to make it even more decadent. Here I have used a ripe banana, pecans, slivered almonds, chocolate discs and dollops of peanut butter – yums!
Instead of the trio of breads competing with each other, they complement one another in terms of textures and flavour – the tanginess of a well fermented sourdough, the aromatic oiliness of focaccia, the buttery flakiness of the croissant.
Be prepared to scoop up some pudding perfection!
Ultimate Bread Pudding
Bread puddings are also known as bread and butter puddings. But you won’t find any added butter in this recipe. Why?
Well, for one thing there is plenty of fat in the recipe already – the olive oil laden focaccia and the butter in the laminated croissant. So much so there is no need to butter the slices of sourdough, trust me.
The “toppings” lend a touch of sophistication. Banana and peanut butter always go well together. Some nuts in the form of pecans and slivered almonds add some lovely crunch when baked.
I have used chopped up bars of dark chocolate in the past for my baking but here I find chocolate discs melt more quickly due to their thin, round shapes.
Ingredients
2 slices sourdough bread, cut into thick chunks
2-3 slices of focaccia, torn into chunks
1 croissant, torn into large pieces
1 ripe banana, sliced into thick discs
50g pecans
50g slivered almonds
50g chocolate discs
4 tablespoons peanut butter
300ml milk
100ml cream
2 whole eggs
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ground cinnamon, for sprinkling
Method
Arrange a layer of the trio of breads (sourdough, focaccia and croissant) in a 1-litre oven proof rectangular dish, making sure the entire base is covered with no empty spaces.
Follow this bread layer by a layer of banana, pecans, slivered almonds, chocolate discs and peanut butter. Just little nuggets here and there; it doesn’t have to be a smooth layer covering all the chunks of bread.
Continue with another layer of the bread and then the toppings until everything is used up. Set aside.
Add the milk and cream to a saucepan. Gently warm over low heat, but do not let it boil. Set aside.
Crack the eggs into a medium-sized bowl. Add sugar and the vanilla extract. Whisk lightly till pale and airy.
Pour the warm milk-cream mixture over the eggs, making sure to whisk continuously until everything is incorporated.
Next pour this custard mixture evenly over the bread layers until it’s all used up. Dust lightly with ground cinnamon. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow the bread to fully soak up the liquids.
Preheat your oven to 180°C.
After 30 minutes, place the baking dish into the oven. Bake for 30–40 minutes, or until the top of the pudding is golden brown.
Scoop directly from the baking dish and serve whilst warm.
