Bread pudding: A dish created to utilise stale bread
When we hear the word ‘pudding’, our mind immediately conjures up images of something soft and creamy, made with chocolate, cheese, sauce and caramel that has all of us drooling. Well, you can make delicious pudding from something as simple as bread. Yes, you read that right! You can now make one of your favourite desserts by simply pouring a sweetened liquid, such as cream or custard sauce, over bread and baking it. Do you know that this recipe has been around for thousands of years? But different countries have their own versions of bread pudding. Let's go back to the beginning of this versatile dish.
Created to utilise stale bread
Moms are constantly thinking of new ways to use leftovers. Bread pudding was born from the same curiosity and the need to avoid food waste. This concept was first introduced in 11th and 12th century Europe when nearly every kitchen had a deep bowl called a ‘pudding basin’ to collect leftover pieces of stale bread. To utilise these leftover breads, the cooks formulated a recipe. However, back then, they could only afford to boil the bread, press it dry and sprinkle it with whatever sugar and spices they had on hand. It was dubbed ‘poor man's pudding’. Eventually, the recipe included eggs, milk and a substance to soak the bread in. This is when bread pudding started to gain popularity all over the world. Eventually, during the 13th century, the dish came to be known as ‘bread and butter pudding’.
Bread pudding: Then vs now
As already mentioned, the journey of bread pudding had a humble start. From soaking stale bread in boiling water, and then blending it with sugar and spices, it soon took a sweet and delicious turn when a custardy mix of cream and eggs was added to the basic recipe. The primary ingredient, bread, is still used today to formulate the recipe but the practice of using fresh bread such as brioche, panettone, challah and croissants has come far from the recipe’s simple beginnings. Modern bread puddings are topped with pecans, walnuts or raisins and are sometimes also served with a sweet sauce laced with alcohol. You can also add a scoop of your favourite ice cream or chocolate and strawberry syrup to further enhance the flavour. With time, people have become creative with toppings and ingredients, giving bread pudding a rich, creamy, flavourful and custard-like goodness. With this being said, you can definitely get creative and prepare your own recipe of bread pudding!
Bread pudding from around the world!
There are countless variations of bread pudding. Over time, various nations have each added their special and distinctive touch. For example, Capirotada is a type of bread pudding that is popular in Mexico. It is topped with cheese and drenched in syrup made with piloncillo, a type of brown sugar. Another example is Om Ali, an Egyptian dessert made with puff pastry, milk/cream, almonds, and raisins. Eish es Serny is a Middle Eastern version of the dessert made from dried bread (rusks) simmered in sugar and honey syrup, flavoured with rosewater, and coloured with caramel. In India, there’s shahi tukda, a bread-based dish with ghee, saffron, sugar, rosewater, and almonds. Bread pudding has become a favourite comfort food for many people because of the variety of ways it can be prepared and relished!