French Bread Pudding

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •6-cup (1.4 L) solid ring mould or one-piece Bundt mould
• •1.5 L deep soufflé dish, as an alternative
• •Deep roasting pan for the bain-marie
• •20 cm or larger sturdy fine-mesh sieve
• •Flexible bowl scraper
• •Medium saucepan
• •Electric hand mixer or balloon whisk
• •Instant-read thermometer, optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready the mould

   Heat the oven to 325°F (160°C) with a rack in the lower middle. Butter every ridge of a solid six-cup ring or one-piece Bundt mould, then add the dry breadcrumbs and turn the mould until its interior is evenly coated; knock out the loose excess. Set a deep roasting pan nearby and bring a kettle of water almost to the boil. If you are using a 1.5-litre soufflé dish instead, prepare it in exactly the same way and plan to serve the pudding from the dish rather than forcing an uncertain unmoulding.

   A removable-bottom tube pan will leak in the bain-marie. Use a solid one-piece mould or a deep ovenproof dish.
2. 2

   Infuse and soak

   Put the milk and sugar in a medium saucepan. Scrape in the vanilla seeds, add the pod, and bring the milk to one full boil over medium heat, stirring across the pan floor so the sugar dissolves without scorching. Remove it from the heat at once. Put the fresh breadcrumbs in a heatproof bowl, pour over the vanilla milk, and press them beneath the surface. Cover and leave for 15 minutes, until the crumb has swollen and no dry pockets remain.

3. 3

   Sieve to silk

   Remove the vanilla pod. Set a sturdy fine-mesh sieve over a clean bowl and rub the warm bread mixture through it with a flexible scraper, working in small portions and scraping the underside of the sieve often. Do not stop when only the obvious lumps are gone. Continue until the entire mixture is a smooth, thick cream with no visible crumb. This is the dish, not decorative labour; a blender chops the bread, but the sieve presses away its coarse structure. Let the purée cool until it feels only slightly warm against your wrist.

   If the mixture becomes too stiff to pass, work in one spoonful of the strained vanilla milk gathered in the bowl. Do not add fresh milk, which would disturb the source ratio.
4. 4

   Add the eggs

   Whisk the two whole eggs and three yolks together just until smooth, without beating in a cap of foam. Stir a spoonful of the cooled bread purée into the eggs, then fold that mixture back into the remaining purée until completely even. The base must be warm, not hot, when the eggs enter. If you see a few cooked egg flecks, pass the mixture through the clean sieve once more immediately; a fully scrambled base cannot be made silken again.

5. 5

   Whip and fold

   In a spotless, dry bowl, beat the two whites until they form a glossy stiff froth: the peak should stand when the whisk lifts, but its surface must not look dry or clotted. Fold one-third of the whites into the bread base to loosen it, then fold in the remainder with broad strokes from the bottom of the bowl. Stop as soon as no white streaks remain. If the whites refuse to rise, fat or yolk has reached them; wash and dry the bowl and beaters thoroughly, then begin again with two fresh whites. The pudding is worth two eggs.

   Separate each white into a small cup before adding it to the mixing bowl. One broken yolk then costs a single white, not the whole batch.
6. 6

   Poach in bain-marie

   Pour the mixture into the prepared mould and smooth the top without pressing out its air. Set the mould inside the roasting pan, place the pan on the oven rack, and pour in the almost-boiling water until it reaches halfway up the mould. Poach for 40 to 55 minutes, checking a metal ring mould after 35 minutes and a deep ceramic dish after 45. The pudding is ready when its surface is set, the whole mass moves with one gentle wobble, and a thin knife comes out moist but not coated in liquid. An instant-read thermometer at the thickest point should register about 176 to 180°F (80 to 82°C).

   The bain-marie should quiver, never boil hard. If it begins bubbling around the mould, pour in a cup of cool water and lower the oven to 300°F (150°C). Ça se rattrape, provided the centre still trembles; gentle heat keeps the eggs tender instead of grainy.
7. 7

   Rest and turn out

   Lift the mould from the bain-marie and rest it on a rack for 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around the outer and inner edges, set a warm serving platter over the mould, and invert both together in one confident movement. If the pudding hesitates, cover the mould with a warm damp towel for 30 seconds, then lift again. Replace any small piece that clings and cover that spot with the chosen accompaniment. Never apologize at your own table. Serve warm with English custard, vanilla-flavoured sabayon, or a smooth fruit sauce, choosing one rather than burying the pudding under all three. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use plain white bread with the crusts removed, preferably a loaf that has stood for a day. Brioche brings extra butter, eggs, and sugar that the source ratio never allowed for; delicious as it may be, it makes a different pudding.
• •No stale loaf is required. Dry fresh crustless slices in a 250°F (120°C) oven until firm but still pale, cool them completely, then reduce them to fine crumbs.
• •The source quantity has been halved exactly. The milk, sugar, bread, whole eggs, yolks, and beaten whites retain their proportions, so the texture remains the book's even though the mould now fits a home table.
• •A smooth fruit sauce gives the cleanest contrast to the vanilla pudding, especially raspberry, apricot, or blackcurrant. English custard makes the dessert rounder and softer; vanilla-flavoured sabayon makes it lighter and more festive. One sauce is enough.
• •The sieving is physical work, but it is brief and indispensable. Use a sturdy sieve at least 20 cm wide and a flexible bowl scraper; a delicate tea strainer will have you cursing a perfectly innocent pudding.
• •The unused white left from separating three yolks keeps refrigerated in a covered container for up to two days, or it can be frozen for later meringues and soufflés.

Advance Preparation

• •The vanilla-soaked bread can be sieved up to one day ahead. Cover and refrigerate the purée, then let it lose its refrigerator chill before adding the eggs. Whip and fold the whites only when the bain-marie and oven are ready.
• •The pudding can be poached up to eight hours before serving. Cool it for no longer than one hour, cover and refrigerate it in the mould, then rewarm it, still covered, in a 300°F (150°C) bain-marie for about 20 minutes before unmoulding.
• •English custard and smooth fruit sauce can be prepared a day ahead and kept cold. A vanilla-flavoured sabayon is less patient and should be made near serving time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 160g)