Gluten Free Bread Pudding

In the event you’ve ever puzzled what to do with leftover gluten free bread, this straightforward recipe for gluten free bread pudding is the reply. You may by no means waste one other crumb!

Why this recipe works

Since gluten free bread is such a commodity, bread pudding is a good way to repurpose leftover gluten free bread that has gone stale. As soon as it is stale, it is prepared to soak up the combination of milk, eggs, and sugar.

Baked custard is made with just some easy components (eggs, milk and/or cream, and sugar). Right here, we’re including massive chunks of dry bread to the combination and baking it coated to steam the custard and let the bread take in taste, after which uncovered to brown it.

The most effective bread pudding is wealthy and creamy, and never too candy. The items of bread ought to be crisp on high and tender right through, and under no circumstances mushy. With the appropriate easy components, within the correct stability, bread pudding is deceptively straightforward.

Components defined

The total ingredient quantities are within the recipe card beneath. Here is a proof of the position every ingredient performs in making tender bread pudding with tons of taste and crisp edges.

• Gluten free bread: Supplies the structural base of the bread pudding. It should be a yeasted bread, ideally a loaf of gluten free bread, which is the best to chop into 1 1/2-inch sq. cubes that may take in the custard combination with out falling aside throughout soaking or baking. If it is recent, you may first dry it within the oven. If it is already stale or dry, you may skip that step.
• Eggs and egg yolks: The whites in the entire eggs present construction and leavening to the custard created by mixing them with the yolks, milk, cream and sugar, and bind the combination collectively. The yolks present richness, creamy texture and golden shade.
• Cream: Provides creamy richness to the custard combination.
• Milk: Provides moisture that’s skinny sufficient to soak into the bread, making the within of the bread tender after baking. Since there’s greater than double the quantity of milk than there may be cream, it actually balances the richness of the cream.
• Sugar: Supplies the one sweetness to the custard, helps the combination brown within the oven, and helps lock in moisture.
• Vanilla: Provides depth of taste; for extra, use vanilla bean paste as an alternative.
• Salt: Brightens and enhances different flavors; balances sweetness.

Easy methods to make gluten free bread pudding (step-by-step images)

1. Dice and toast the bread

Minimize your bread into cubes and really feel the cubes, particularly these from the middle of the loaf. To make sure that the bread soaks up the custard liquids, you may must dry out any moist cubes.

Dry out the bread by baking it in a single layer on a baking sheet at 300°F for about half-hour. The cubes ought to really feel dry to the contact once you squeeze them flippantly. Then set it apart to chill to room temperature so it would not start to prepare dinner the custard combination once you mix all the things.

2. Make the custard combination

In a big measuring cup for straightforward pouring (or a medium mixing bowl), place collectively the entire eggs, egg yolks, a lot of the sugar (reserve 2 tablespoons to sprinkle on high earlier than baking for additional browning), salt, vanilla, milk and cream.

That is the custard combination. Start with all room temperature components, and whisk till very clean, or there will likely be clumps of overcooked egg yolks within the baked custard.

3. Mix the bread and custard

Prepare the toasted and cooled bread cubes in a big, greased casserole dish, and pour the uncooked custard combination excessive. Pour slowly and intentionally so the highest of every of the cubes of bread is moist by the liquid.

Let the combination sit for at the least 1 hour for the bread cubes to soak up as a lot liquid as potential. The liquid will not be deep sufficient to completely submerge all the bread, so stir the combination often to make sure each piece of bread has absorbed sufficient custard. Stir gently so you do not break any of the cubes, which is able to change into more and more fragile as they sit.

Sprinkle the highest of the combination evenly with the reserved 2 tablespoons of sugar for sweetness on the high of each chew, and a few bonus browning within the oven.

4. Bake and serve

When you’re preheating your oven to 350°F, place a big oven-safe baking dish on the underside rack and punctiliously fill will scorching water. This may create a extra light baking setting than a scorching, dry oven for a smoother custard that does not burn and harden on the sides. That is why we use the identical method when making gluten free cheesecake.

Cowl the pan tightly with aluminum foil, and bake on the middle rack for 1 hour. The custard can have steam-baked virtually right through. Uncover, and end baking till finished.

The custard is about sufficient for a knife inserted into it to return again largely clear and the highest is properly browned from extra direct publicity to oven warmth. If it is not set but however is beginning to brown an excessive amount of, decrease the oven temperature to 325°F. Then let the dish set at room temp for about quarter-hour so the custard corporations up a bit, and serve heat.

Knowledgeable ideas

Decide the appropriate bread

You may want cubes of bread which might be sufficiently small to absorb custard and huge sufficient to carry their form very well throughout baking. In the event you’ve collected odds and ends of skinny packaged gluten free bread, and never chunky, I like to recommend making these into do-it-yourself gluten free breadcrumbs.

Selfmade bread

Once I make bread pudding, it is normally from leftover do-it-yourself bread (my favourite is our fundamental gluten free bread recipe). Both it is already been sliced thickly or was unsliced, so I will reduce the bread into the right 1 1/2-inch cubes.

Retailer-bought bread

The “Heritage” line from Canyon Bakehouse model gluten free bread is thicker, bigger slices which might work properly right here. The opposite kind of bread that I actually like for bread pudding is packaged gluten free bagels. For the reason that packaged gluten free bagels from Dealer Joe’s are comparatively cheap however are inclined to go stale shortly, I freeze them, and defrost them as soon as I’ve sufficient for bread pudding.

Be certain that the bread cubes are dry

In case your bread is not dry sufficient, like when making gluten free stuffing, it’ll have already got an excessive amount of moisture to soak up the flavored liquid in the remainder of the dish (right here, the custard). In case your bread is in an unsliced loaf, reduce into the middle and squeeze it flippantly. It should not really feel in any respect moist and should not give a lot to your fingers.

If the bread is just not dry sufficient, reduce it into 1 1/2-inch cubes and toast in a single layer on a baking sheet in a 300°F oven for about half-hour, or longer. You will not be capable of dry it out fully with out overbaking it and ending up with croutons, however you may take away sufficient of the bread’s moisture for it to soak up the custard combination.

Strive lowering the sugar

There’s just one/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar on this complete recipe, which is a comparatively small quantity for a candy dish. In the event you’d favor a much less candy dish, you may scale back the sugar by as much as one half, to 1/4 cup (50 g) whole. Any lower than that and the dish will likely be bland and can dry out too shortly. To make the recipe sugar-free, attempt utilizing Lakanto model granulated sugar alternative.

Ingredient substitutions

Dairy free

Rather than the dairy milk, use your favourite unsweetened, plain nondairy milk with a thickness much like dairy milk. For the heavy whipping cream, use canned coconut milk.

Watch out to pick out gluten free bread to dice that is dairy-free. And do not use butter, in fact, to grease the casserole dish. I discover that cooking oil spray is only, anyway.

Egg free

I’ve by no means tried making a custard with none eggs. If I have been to attempt it, my first try can be to attempt changing the 5 egg yolks with 5 tablespoons of softened butter (or 7.5 tablespoons impartial oil) and 5 tablespoons of heat water. You may must whisk very vigorously to create a creamy emulsion. Then attempt including 4 tablespoons of aquafaba (the liquid from a can of unsalted chickpeas) to exchange the two egg whites.

Storage strategies

Let any leftover bread pudding cool to room temperature, then retailer in a sealed container within the fridge for as much as 5 days. To refresh, sprinkle with lukewarm water to return some moisture to the dish, and heat in a 300°F toaster oven. You’ll want to reheat it slowly to forestall the custard from breaking or separating.

For longer storage, you may freeze in a sealed container for about 1 month, however the custard could break. Let defrost to room temperature whereas nonetheless coated, then refresh as above.