Bread pudding

Serves: 6

This simple bake is lovely with a cup of coffee. Or have it for dessert instead, with custard or ice cream.

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Ingredients

• 1 lb. 2 oz. (500 g) stale bread, broken into pieces
• 4 cups (1 liter) whole milk + more if necessary
• ¾ cup + 1 tbsp (200 ml) amber rum
• ⅓ cup (1.75 oz./50 g) raisins
• Butter, for the pan
• ½ cup (3.5 oz./100 g) sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• ½ tsp (3 g) ground cinnamon
• 1–2 tsp all-purpose flour, if necessary
• Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions

1Place the bread in a large bowl and pour in the milk—the bread should be completely covered. Let soak until the bread is fully saturated and soft (about 1 hour).

2Meanwhile, warm the rum and pour it over the raisins in a bowl. Let soak until the raisins are softened and plump.

3Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/Gas Mark 4) and generously grease the Pyrex bowl or loaf pan with butter.

4Roughly mash the bread in the milk using a fork, then add the sugar, eggs, and cinnamon. Drain the rum-soaked raisins and add them to the bowl. Stir until well combined. The batter should be semi-thick—neither runny nor dense. If necessary, add 1–2 tsp flour or a little more milk.

5Pour the batter into the prepared dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

6As soon as you remove the pudding from the oven, run a spatula or knife around the edge to release the pudding from the bowl. Let the pudding cool slightly or completely in the dish before turning it out onto a serving plate.

7Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

Extracted from Upper Crust: Homemade Bread the French Way by Marie-Laure Fréchet(Flammarion, 2021).