Savory Bread Pudding Recipe

Leigh from My Gross Habits Net Income requests that I post my savory bread pudding recipe.

First, a quick description of bread pudding. Key part: “It is made using stale (usually left-over) bread, suet, egg, sugar or golden syrup, spices, and dried fruit.” [emphasis mine]

Normally it’s a dessert and I’ve certainly sold enough of them at the gourmet food shop where I worked in high school. They most definitely were made from the stale bread that didn’t sell the day before. (We also made our own croutons from the same bread too.) But I don’t really have a sweet tooth or eat desserts regularly. I prefer savory dishes when I’m making food.

My inspiration for this was an episode of Sandra Lee’s Money Saving Meals on Food Network right before we walked to the market. She had a savory pudding recipe that I modified to suit our tastes. (Boyfriend is not a fan of mushrooms) The trick I learned was to use a ratio of 2 eggs to 1 cup of milk and to soak the bread in the custard mix before layering it all together. (which is different from some other recipes)

Savory Bread Pudding

Ingredients:
1/2 medium onion, diced
4-6 ozs ground pork (plain no seasoning)
1/4-1/2 French baguette (sour ok, but not preferred)
2 cups whole milk
4 eggs
Butter or oil

Spices:
Fennel Seed
Celery Seed
Salt
Black Pepper
All-purpose seasoning mix
Sage
Thyme
Oregano
Hot Red Pepper Flakes

1. Cut up the bread into cubes. If your bread is not stale, cut it up and let it air dry for a few hours.

2. Mix the ground pork with spices to taste and refrigerate to blend the flavors. I find that fennel and celery seed are sausage-y flavors, and I like it to have bite.

3. Whisk the eggs and milk together. Add in salt and pepper. Dump in the bread cubes. Stir till moistened. Cover and place in the fridge.

4. Sweat the onions in a little oil over medium heat. Add in the pork. Brown the meat and cook completely. Remove it from the stove and let it cool in the pan for a few minutes, or put in a different bowl to cool faster.

5. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

6. Take a 6-8 cup casserole dish (about 2″ deep) and pour in some bread cubes to fit the bottom. Layer the meat over the bread crumbs, and spoon in bread till it is filled, but not falling out.

7. Pour in as much remaining custard mixture into the casserole as you want. Till it is just under the rim is ok, it will rise a little bit to float the bread, but then collapse back down a little.

8. Put the casserole on a baking dish and place in the oven. Bake for 30-45 minutes till custard is a little wet, but not watery.

9. Pull out the casserole when the custard is still a little wet and let cool for at least 20-30 minutes. (Residual heat will cook it the rest of the way.)

10. Cut and serve. Should be enough for 2-4 portions.

Options:
1. You can saute other vegetables like spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers, tomato (fresh and sundried), nearly anything!

2. Cheese! GLORIOUS CHEESE! Any sharp flavored cheese can be layered in and sprinkled on top. Try a sharp cheddar, feta, or a smoky gouda.

I cook by the seat of my pants, so I can do this with nearly any bread (like stale whole wheat I made myself) or any veggies. It’s a great way to clean out a fridge and all the same stuff can be used to make a frittata instead. (sans bread and most of the milk)

Give it a try and let me know if you like it!

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