Chef Juliette
Allumettes
Allumettes make one demand before the tray reaches the oven: reduce the Gruyère Béchamel until it holds on a knife, so the puff paste rises into butter-gold layers instead of soaking flat.
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Pudding de Fromage au Pain
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2324, Pudding de Fromage au Pain, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Pudding de Fromage au Pain turns stale bread, butter, Comté, yolks, and broth into a bronzed weeknight gratin, proving that thrift at the French table is a discipline, not a compromise.
Side Dishes
French
Comfort Food
Budget Friendly
Weeknight
20 min
Active Time
30 min cook•50 min total
Yield4 side-dish servings
Pudding de Fromage au Pain (savory bread-and-cheese pudding) teaches a hard, useful truth: stale bread is not a compromise here, it is the structure. Its dry crumb drinks the yolk-rich broth while keeping distinct layers; fresh bread collapses into paste before the dish can set. Butter, not margarine, and a firm grated cheese give the soft center its savory backbone.
The classical formula assumed a saucier on staff, a stock never off the fire, and a salamander waiting to glaze the top. At home, a good light chicken broth, an ordinary oven, and a closely watched broiler do the same work. The formula is already built for a pint dish, so this version retains its four yolks to one-quarter imperial pint of broth, translated to 140 ml, and uses a 600 ml gratin dish. Holding stock and staffing the glaze were brigade scaffolding; thin stale bread, butter between the slices, the three-quarter fill, and the final glaze are the dish, so they stay. One cook, one stove, one evening.
The finished pudding should be tender but distinctly layered beneath a generous crust of blistered Comté, with broth and yolks bound around the bread rather than turning it to porridge. The one step that decides everything comes first: make certain the bread is dry and firm before it meets the liaison.
Pudding de fromage au pain belongs to the economical cuisine bourgeoise table rather than to one French province. Classical kitchens took a household practice, reviving stale bread with liquid, and gave it a savory form through yolks, broth, grated cheese, and a glazed finish. The borrowed word pudding can mislead: this is neither a dessert nor a boiled pudding, but a small baked gratin whose disciplined thrift carried it from the home table into the professional canon.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
stale close-crumb white bread
Quantity
6 to 8 thin slices (about 4 oz / 115 g)
cut ¼ inch / 6 mm thick
unsalted butter
Quantity
2 tbsp (30 ml / 28 g)
softened
Comté cheese
Quantity
1 cup (240 ml / 100 g)
finely grated and divided
large egg yolks
Quantity
4 large (¼ cup / 60 ml / 68 g)
light chicken broth
Quantity
½ cup plus 1 tbsp (140 ml / 140 g)
cooled to room temperature
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| stale close-crumb white breadcut ¼ inch / 6 mm thick | 6 to 8 thin slices (about 4 oz / 115 g) |
| unsalted buttersoftened | 2 tbsp (30 ml / 28 g) |
| Comté cheesefinely grated and divided | 1 cup (240 ml / 100 g) |
| large egg yolks | 4 large (¼ cup / 60 ml / 68 g) |
| light chicken brothcooled to room temperature | ½ cup plus 1 tbsp (140 ml / 140 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •Shallow broiler-safe 1-pint / 600 ml gratin dish
- •Medium mixing bowl
- •Whisk
- •Fine-mesh sieve
- •Instant-read thermometer, optional
Instructions
- 1
Test the bread
The bread must feel dry, firm, and slightly rigid. If a slice bends softly or springs back under a finger, arrange the slices on a tray and dry them in a 250°F / 120°C oven for 15 to 20 minutes without browning, then cool them completely. Ça se rattrape now; once fresh crumb has absorbed the liaison, its paste-like texture cannot be reversed.
A close, even crumb holds the pudding in layers. Very open sourdough leaves gaps, while brioche adds sweetness and richness the original formula never asked for. - 2
Layer with butter
Heat the oven to 350°F / 180°C. Use a little butter to coat a shallow, broiler-safe 1-pint / 600 ml gratin dish. Spread the remaining butter thinly over one side of each bread slice. Arrange the slices in overlapping layers, buttered sides up, sprinkling about two-thirds of the Comté between them. Stop when the dish is three-quarters full and do not compress the bread. Cover the surface copiously with most of the remaining cheese, holding back 2 tbsp for a possible repair after glazing.
- 3
Whisk the liaison
Make the liaison, the yolk-and-broth binder: whisk the yolks just until smooth, then add the room-temperature broth gradually without beating in air. Hot broth starts cooking the yolks before they reach the oven. If you see a few yellow strands, strain the liaison through a fine sieve; ça se rattrape, and the finished pudding will still set smoothly.
- 4
Soak without crushing
Pour the liaison slowly over the bread, working around the edges and across the center so every layer receives some. Press once, very gently, with the back of a spoon, then leave the dish for 10 minutes. The bread should become saturated while its outlines remain visible; a spoonful of liquid at the bottom is harmless, but the slices must not dissolve into one mass.
- 5
Bake until just set
Bake on the middle rack for 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges are firm, the center trembles slightly without sloshing, and the pudding reaches at least 160°F / 71°C in the middle. If the cheese colors before the center sets, cover the dish loosely with foil and continue baking. Do not bake until dry; the liaison will settle further while the pudding rests.
- 6
Glaze and serve
Move the dish about 6 inches / 15 cm beneath a hot broiler and watch without turning away. Glaze for 30 to 90 seconds, rotating once if necessary, until the cheese blisters and takes patches of deep bronze. If one small patch burns, lift it away with a teaspoon, cover the spot with the reserved cheese, and glaze again briefly. Rest for 5 minutes, then serve generous spoonfuls directly from the dish. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Stale is the point. Bread left from yesterday has surrendered enough moisture to absorb the liaison without losing itself; if yours is fresh, dry it gently and cool it before assembling.
- •Comté gives the pudding a nutty, savory crust and melts without releasing a greasy puddle. Grate it finely yourself so it settles between the thin bread layers instead of sitting in heavy clumps.
- •Taste the broth before using it. It should be pleasant enough to sip and lightly seasoned, because the cheese will add salt as the pudding bakes; harsh bouillon only grows harsher in the oven.
- •Use a shallow ceramic or metal dish explicitly marked safe for the broiler. Ordinary glass can crack beneath direct heat, and the final glaze is one of the steps that must stay.
Advance Preparation
- •Slice the bread a day ahead and leave it on a rack, loosely covered with a clean cloth, until firm and stale.
- •The cheese can be grated and the dish buttered several hours ahead. Keep the cheese covered in the refrigerator, but whisk the liaison and soak the bread only when the oven is ready.
- •Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and keep them for up to 3 days. Reheat at 325°F / 165°C until hot through, then refresh the top briefly beneath the broiler.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 100g)
Calories
290 calories
Total Fat
20 g
Saturated Fat
11 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
8 g
Cholesterol
225 mg
Sodium
430 mg
Total Carbohydrates
15 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
13 g
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