question on bread pudding

15 years ago

I'm making bread pudding for the first time (the spouse had some in the cafeteria at work and loved it enough to get the recipe). It's a winter squash savory type and calls for a ton of cream for the custardy part. OK, 2 cups cream and 2 milk. All we have is skim milk and condensed milk. I could certainly GET whole milk and cream but this recipe looks like it could pass for healthy if I bypass the cream.

Would it set up OK with skim milk? Or skim and whole condensed? I know it won't be as good, but would it work?

Thanks!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

User
15 years ago
NO!!!!!! Condensed milk is sweet, very sweet. If you were making a dessert you could probably make an adjustment and use the condensed milk, but definitely not for a savory dish.

This must be a huge bread pudding if it contains 4 cups of milk/cream. How many eggs does the recipe call for? Can you post the recipe. It would be easier to office advice if I could see the recipe.

Ann
triciae
15 years ago
I agree with Ann. Best not to use the condensed milk.

Here's my recipe for a similar dish. I make this with both sweet potatoes & squash.

SWEET POTATO, APPLE, & BACON BREAD PUDDING

Excellent served with pork loin or chops, also delicious as a brunch selection.

Ingredients:

2 Medium Sweet Potatoes, Washed, Peeled, & Diced into 1" Cubes
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
5 Large Eggs
2 Cups Milk
Â½ Teaspoon Ground Sage
Â½ Teaspoon Cumin
Â½ Teaspoon Ground Thyme
Â½ Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
6 Slices Day-Old White Sandwich Bread, Crusts Removed & Cut into 1" Cubes
1 Granny Smith Apple, Peeled, Cored, & Diced into Â½" Cubes
5 Slices Bacon, Cooked until crispy, & Crumbled

1.) Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

2.) Wash, peel, & dice into 1" cubes the sweet potatoes. Place sweet potato cubes into medium-sized bowl & toss with the 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil. Place sweet potato cubes on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Roast the sweet potatoes until just barely fork tender, about 30-40 minutes. When roasted, remove the baking sheet from the oven & allow the sweet potatoes to cool on the baking sheet for about 30 minutes.

3.) While the sweet potato cubes are roasting, in a large mixing bowl beat the eggs until they turn a light yellow. Add the milk, sage, cumin, thyme, salt, & pepper. Beat until the eggs, milk, & spices are well blended.

4.) Add the bread cubes to the egg/milk mixture & using a wooden spoon gently push the bread cubes down into the egg/milk mixture to evenly coat all of the cubes with liquid. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap & refrigerate until the sweet potatoes are roasted & thoroughly cool.

5.) Fry the bacon until crisp. Allow to drain on paper towels. When cool enough to handle, crumble the bacon. Place the bacon in a small dish, cover, & refrigerate until needed.

6.) When the sweet potatoes are thoroughly cool, reheat the oven to 350 degrees.

7.) Remove the egg/milk/bread mixture from the refrigerator & add the sweet potato cubes. Gently fold to evenly distribute.

8.) Peel, core, & dice the Granny Smith apple into Â½" cubes. Add the apple cubes to the mixture & gently fold to incorporate.

9.) Pour the mixture into greased 9"x12" oven-proof baking dish & spread the mixture around the pan to evenly distribute. Top with the crumbled bacon.

10.) Bake in a bain marie at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until a dinner knife inserted about 1" from the center comes out clean.

11.) Allow to cool for five minutes before serving.

/tricia
Related Discussions
Ann T: Questions about bread pudding
Q
Comments (9)
Here you go Sue. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Bread And Butter Pudding With Caramel Sauce =========================================== 5 or 6 slices of bread 1/2 cup butter 1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar 5 eggs 2 cups cream (Or milk) vanilla pinch of salt Caramel Sauce 1 cup butter 1 cup sugar 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup cream pinch of salt 2 teaspoons vanilla NOTE: If you prefer the pudding to have more custard, then use less bread so that all of the custard is not absorbed into the bread when baked. Cut crusts from bread and spread each slice with butter. (Bread slices can be left whole, or cut into halves, quarters or cubes. Place bread buttered side up in a oven proof dish. (may use any shape dish, or glass loaf pan, cutting bread to fit) Beat the sugar and eggs together and then add the cream, vanilla and salt. Pour over bread and allow the bread to absorb. (make be refrigerated at this point and baked later) sprinkle with some white sugar and place dish into a pan of hot water and bake in a 350 oven for 45 to 1 hour, or until pudding is set and golden. To make caramel sauce, bring butter, sugars, cream and salt to a boil and then simmer for 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Custard sauce for Chocolate Bread and butter Pudding. The custard sauce was really easy. It was just two cups of milk or cream ( I used coffee cream) heated to a simmer. Mix three tablespoons of flour into 1/2 cup of white sugar and mix into a beaten egg. When the milk is hot, slowly pour the milk into the egg mixture,stirring constantly. Pour the mixture back into the pot and cook over low heat until thickened. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Custard should be pouring consistency. Cover the surface directly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
...See More
Savory Gingerbread Bread Pudding
Q
Comments (4)
LOL!! I can't imagine throwing away perfectly good food just because it's left over. Or throwing away a block of cheese when you can cut off the offending bit. Do people do that? The bread pudding was good hot, but it was approaching awesome as it cooled, and this kind of thing is always better the next day.
...See More
Apple Cider Doughnut Bread Pudding
Q
Comments (5)
Since you have a source for the doughnuts, you don't need one for the bread pudding. The basis of bread pudding is the custard. You need approximately 2 eggs per cup of milk and/or cream. Some people add an extra egg. Total volume is enough to cover the bread (doughnuts) when they're pushed down into the mixture. For doughnuts, I wouldn't add sugar, or not much. Next you have to decide on the texture you want. Do you want fixed shapes with sharp edges? Bumpy but not defined edges? No discernible shapes at all? A smooth even pielike texture? For sharp edges use a knife to cut the doughnuts. For bumpy, tear them. For blobs rather than bumps, tear and crumble them. For smooth pie type it doesn't matter, just soak them in the custard until they dissolve and use a slotted spoon to transfer them so you don't have excess custard turning it into bread quiche. :) Next stale the doughnut pieces. Leave them out for a few days if you can, or toast them in a low oven until they're good and dry but not crumble dry. If you want defined shapes, use a warmer oven (350° F) and let them get a little toasty brown. Do you want other lumps in the pudding? Apple bits, raisins, nuts? Whole nuts don't do as well as halved or lightly chopped, unless you want them very crunchy. Apple bits should be between peanut and macadamia nut size to hold up well while being pleasant. Eyeball your quantity of doughnut bits, or measure. I'd say no more than a cup of total mix-ins for three cups of "bread", and half a cup is probably plenty. Bread pudding shouldn't require a ton of chewing. But that's to taste. Mix up the custard and add any spices or flavorings you like. Quantity is hard because it depends on what you want it to taste like, whether you're grinding fresh, using a "wet" spice like Penzey's or a really dry one like most grocery stores sell. Generally, between 1/2-1 tsp of any particular spice and no more than a tablespoon total per quart of custard -- ish -- is a good approximation. You don't need to add any at all if the donuts have a lot of flavor. And if they have spicy crumbs, stir in the crumbs from cutting/tearing them. Some people add a quarter tsp. of salt. I don't think it's necessary, but might be a foil for the sweet if the doughnuts are really sugary. You can add the custard to the bread or the bread to the custard, then stir in the mix-ins (if you want crunchy nuts, stir them in at the end instead). Just have a bowl that's well more than big enough. Unless you're doing the sharp edges, put a plate that almost reaches the edges of your bowl on top of the mixture, and put a big can of tomato product, or other weight, on top. Let it sit to soak for half an hour and check. Doughnuts don't have a lot of structure so that might be plenty. Maybe even check in half that time. I've only done doughnuts mixed with bread. When the pieces seem saturated and at the correct texture (if they're too bumpy, let them soak longer), use a big spoon to transfer to your baking dish. This is the best way to make sure the mix-ins are well distributed, and you'll also be able to make sure the spices haven't pooled. Don't stir the mixture unless you want the smooth as pie version! Add enough custard so that the bits are mostly covered, but only barely, to prevent that quiche collar. Bake at 350° F for 35-45 minutes, unless it's huge which would take a bit longer. If you're serving right away, until the top is golden. If you're reheating later, until the custard is just barely set. Optional: If you like a topping, you can add any kind of crumble. Put some spices in that are reminiscent of the doughnuts, and maybe a spoon of applesauce too, but not so much flavor that it'll compete with the pudding. Just a hint. Optional: Cider hard sauce, either from hard apple cider or apple juice and brandy, would be excellent. Good luck with it!
...See More
Bread Pudding
Q
Comments (18)
This is the one I use. I made it first for a school event using sourdough bowls from another school event. I couldn't use a whiskey sauce (no alcohol permitted), but the caramel is great with it. The Best Bread Pudding 2 eggs 2 tablespoons melted butter 2 tablespoons vanilla 2 1/2 cups milk 2 cups sugar 3 1/2 to 5 cups sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes 1/3 cup pecans, chopped finely Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat together eggs, butter, vanilla, and milk. Add sugar and mix until sugar is dissolved. Arrange bread cubes tightly in a nine-inch baking dish, keeping the crust facing up around the edges in scattered within the dish. Pour liquid over the bread. Sprinkle pecans all over and bake for 55 to 70 minutes, or until crust is golden brown all over the top. While the bread pudding is baking, make one of the sauces Whiskey Cream Sauce: 1/2 cup sugar 1 stick butter 1/2 cup cream 1/4 cup Jack Daniels Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Stir constantly over low heat until mixture reaches a low boil. Pour a small amount over the individual servings of bread pudding. Store leftovers in fridge. Walk by every hour and pop a cube of bread in your mouth. Smile contently. Caramel Sauce 1/2 c butter 1/2 c brown sugar 1/2 c white sugar 1 half pint container whipping or heavy cream Stir together over medium heat until it boils. Remove from heat and add 1 tsp vanilla. Serve.
...See More
lindac
15 years ago
to answer your question....IF there are enough eggs, it will set up just fine with skim milk. You will need atleast 8 eggs for it to set up with 4 cups of milk.
You call it a bread pudding...I think I would call it a strata.
Condensed milk wont' work for this....would be awful!
Linda C
Fori
Original Author
15 years ago
Eek. Ew. I meant evaporated milk. I do know better!! I guess if I used the wrong stuff the kid might eat it, though.

The "recipe" is more of a guideline--

2C milk
2C cream
6 eggs
8 slices bread
1 roasted kabocha squash (I'm using butternut--I have it and I figure it's close enough since that's what spouse thought he had had.)
1 medium yellow onion, sliced and cooked through in 2 tbsp butter
maybe 1-2 oz. Gruyere
fresh herbs, salt, pepper.

bake ~55 min at 375F until set in a buttered 13x9" pan.

Serves.....FOUR.

I'll have to get the chef's name from the spouse..
Terri_PacNW
15 years ago
That sounds pretty good...but I'd have to toss in some piggie product.. to get my guys to even attempt to eat it.

I think you'll be fine with the Evap..won't be near as rich as the recipe was intended..but I have found Evap Milk to be a pretty decent sub in savories for cream or half n half.
User
15 years ago
It does sound good. But I still think that 4 cups of milk/cream is a lot for just for 8 slices of bread. I'd caramelize the onions and add a little garlic to the mix.

Ann
dgkritch
15 years ago
I agree with Ann, it's going to very, very custard-y. I might toss in a couple of extra eggs too. That's an awful lot of liquid! And I hope those 4 people are really hungry!!! Maybe 4 servings as the ONLY dish on the table, but if it's a side, you're going to have leftovers!!

I sub Evap milk and skim milk all the time. You could even add a little sour cream or plain yogurt if you want it richer (both would also be fat free, in my case!).

Let us know!

Deanna
Fori
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks all. Maybe this chef's idea of a slice of bread is huge...the generalized bread pudding techniques given to the spouse do say to add enough custard to make the bread wet but not dripping, so I guess it's all approximate. Now I need to find out about how large a kabocha is.

question on bread pudding

Comments (8)

User

triciae

Related Discussions

lindac

Fori
Original Author

Terri_PacNW

User

dgkritch

Fori
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

question on bread pudding

Comments (8)

User

triciae

Related Discussions

lindac

ForiOriginal Author

Terri_PacNW

User

dgkritch

ForiOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Fori
Original Author

Fori
Original Author