Cooks Illustrated Bread Pudding Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Spread 1 c Caramel Sauce in bottom of 13 x 9 pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Cut bread into 1-inch cubes. Any large loaf will do, but a nice French bread, or a Challah work especially well.
• Spread bread cubes onto sheet pan in a single layer. Brown in oven for about 10-12 minutes.
• Reduce oven to 325. Don't forget this step (the voice of experience speaks)!
• In a medium bowl, mix eggs, half-and-half, vanilla and salt. Add 1 1/2 c caramel sauce to this mixture.
• Place bread cubes in a very large bowl and pour mixture over cubes. Toss gently until all cubes are coated.
• Let stand 20 minutes, gently mixing occasionally. Be sure that there are no dry cubes!
• Spread the soaked bread over the caramel in the 13 x 9 pan.
• Bake at lower oven level for 45 minutes.
• Let cool 30 minutes and serve, drizzled with remaining caramel sauce.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan over low heat, warm milk, butter, vanilla, sugar and salt. Continue cooking just until butter melts; cool. Meanwhile, butter a 4-to-6-cup baking dish and fill it with cubed bread.
• Add eggs to cooled milk mixture and whisk; pour mixture over bread. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until custard is set but still a little wobbly and edges of bread have browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• 1. Adjust oven racks to middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine brown sugar and 1 T granulated sugar in small bowl; set aside. 2. Spread bread cubes in single layer on 2 rimmed baking sheets. Bake, tossing occasionally, until just dry, about 15 minutes, switching trays from top to bottom racks halfway through. Cool bread cubes about 15 minutes, set aside 2 cups. 3. Whisk yolks, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, vanilla, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk in cream and milk until combined. Add remaining 8 cups cooled bread and toss to coat. Transfer mixture to 9x13 pan and let stand, occasionally pressing bread into custard, until cubes are thoroughly saturated, about 30 minutes. 4. Spread reserved bread evenly over top of soaked bread and gently press into custard. Using pastry brush, dab melted butter over top of unsoaked bread pieces. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture evenly over top. Place bread pudding on rimmed baking sheet and bake on middle rack until custard has just set and pressing center of pudding with finger reveals no runny liquid, about 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and cool until pudding is set and just warm, about 45 minutes. Bourbon Brown Sugar sauce 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 7 T heavy cream 2 1/2 T unsalted butter 1 1/2 T bourbon (or rum) Whisk brown sugar and heavy cream in small saucepan over medium heat until combined. Continue to cook, whisking frequently, until mixture comes to boil, about 5 minutes. Whisk in butter and bring mixture back to boil; about 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in bourbon. Cool to just warm; serve

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine butter, both sugars, water, corn syrup, lemon juice and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted. Bring to a full rolling boil and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes (caramel will be about 240F). Immediately reduce to medium-low, until caramel develops a steady stream of lazy bubbles. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is color of dark peanut butter, smells ever-so-slightly burnt and registers 300F, 12-16 minutes more.
• Remove from heat and carefully add 1/4 c cream (it will bubble and steam), swirling to incorporate. When bubbles subside, whisk vigorously, scraping into corners, until completely smooth, at least 30 seconds. Over medium heat, whisk in remaining cream until smooth. Whisk in 2 c milk until smooth, remembering to scrape into the corners of the pan to collect any remaining caramel.
• In microwave, bring remaining 1/4 c milk to a simmer, 30-45 seconds. Whisk egg yolks and cornstarch together in a large heat-safe bowl until smooth. Gradually whisk in hot milk until smooth; set aside at room temperature.
• Return saucepan to medium-high heat and bring back to a full rolling boil, whisking frequently. When bubbles begin to climb sides of pan, immediately dump entire pan into bowl with yolk mixture (do not add slowly). Whisk vigorously and thoroughly for 10-15 seconds. Add vanilla and rum and whisk to combine. Spray a disc of parchment paper cut to fit the bowl with non-stick spray and press onto surface of pudding. Refrigerate until cold and set, 3 hours or more. Whisk until smooth before serving.