The
sweet dessert known as Bread pudding (not
be confused with bread and butter pudding)
is rather more popular in the UK than
in the US, but it is hardly unknown in
America, especially in the south. It is
made from stale bread, eggs, sugar or
syrup, suet, spices and dried fruit. The
bread is soaked, often overnight, then
wrung dry and mixed with the other ingredients.
The mixture is then baked. It is often
served with a bread pudding topping, typically
sprinkled sugar, or a sweet sauce. Bread
pudding with whiskey sauce, rum sauce
or caramel sauce are not uncommon. Bread
puddings can be steamed or baked; both
make great tasting dishes. It is eaten
both hot and cold.
Bread Pudding has been around a long time.
It’s been around in England since the
13th century. It has its origins as a
source of food for the poorer elements
of society, and was in fact called “Poor
Man’s Pudding”.
Today the best recipes for bread pudding
have some pretty fancy ingredients There
are even recipes that use bread specifically
made to make pudding out of, such as brioche,
challah, croissant, panettone, French
or Italian that is soaked in custard made
from milk eggs, sugar, vanilla, and spices.
In the end, though, the basics of Bread
Pudding remain the same, and a tasty pudding
can be made from most stale breads and
a little water. Even a sturdy white bread
with crusts will do as long as it is very
dry and chewy(sandwich bread, however,
will dissolve). And anyway even the most
humble puddings can be dressed up with
ice cream or softly whipped cream.
Finally a word on the American concept
of pudding: the sweet creamy goop most
of the world regards as “custard” is referred
to in the States as “pudding”. Americans
unfamiliar with bread pudding will experience
it as a kind of extremely moist cake.
Like the whole “biscuits/ cookies” thing,
it’s simply one of the many wacky and
wonderful ways things get twisted as they
cross “the pond”.
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