Martha Stewart Croissant Bread Pudding Recipes

CROISSANT BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350° and spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
• In a large bowl whisk together the milk, heavy cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and cinnamon. Add the croissant cubes and mix together until the croissants are fully coated in the cream mixture. Let it sit for 25-30 minutes, stirring about 15 minutes in.
• Once the croissants have soaked pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the custard, is set and the croissants are starting to brown. While the bread pudding is baking prepare the vanilla sauce.
• In a medium saucepan combine the butter, sugar, and cream. Whisk constantly over medium heat until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla.
• Allow the bread pudding to sit for at least 20 minutes before serving. Serve with warm vanilla sauce.

CLASSIC BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; set aside. Put bread in a large bowl; set aside. Heat milk and cream in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until just about to simmer; remove from heat.
• Whisk eggs, yolk, sugar, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, pour cream mixture in a slow, steady stream into egg mixture. Pour over bread; fold to combine. Let stand 30 minutes, tossing and pressing occasionally to submerge bread.
• Meanwhile, soak raisins in 1 cup boiling water for 30 minutes.
• Drain; stir raisins into bread mixture. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a slotted spoon, transfer bread to buttered dish; pour liquid in bowl over top. Using spoon, turn top layer of bread crust side up.
• Set dish in a roasting pan; transfer to oven. Pour boiling water into pan to reach about halfway up sides of dish. Bake until golden brown, about 50 minutes. Let dish cool on a rack 10 to 20 minutes.

CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter an 11-by-7-inch (or 9-inch square) baking dish; set aside. Toast bread (in the oven or toaster) until lightly crisped.
• In a medium saucepan, combine milk, chocolate, and butter; place over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate has melted, about 5 minutes.
• Tear bread into large pieces (about 4 or 5 per slice); scatter evenly in prepared baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Whisk in warm milk mixture until combined. Pour over bread.
• Bake until pudding has puffed and is firm, about 25 minutes. Cool at least 10 minutes, and dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

KRIS KRINGLE BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Brush two 1 1/2-quart ovenproof bowls with butter, and sprinkle with vanilla sugar; tap out excess. Bring Armagnac, dried fruit, and prunes to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fruit has softened and absorbed the liquid, about 10 minutes. Coarsely chop fruit.
• Bring cream, half and half, vanilla sugar, cinnamon, vanilla beans and seeds, and zest to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
• Lightly beat egg yolks in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, gradually ladle half the hot-cream mixture into the yolks. Pour yolk mixture into saucepan with remaining cream mixture. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly and scraping sides of pan, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Pass custard through a fine sieve into a large bowl; discard solids.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In another large bowl, combine brioche cubes and chopped fruit, reserving 1/2 cup fruit. Pour in custard; toss to combine. Divide bread mixture between prepared bowls. Top each with half the reserved fruit. Sprinkle with vanilla sugar. Place a parchment round in water to dampen and transfer to top of pudding bowl to cover. Use a rubber band to secure, and tie with kitchen twine. Repeat process with second bowl. Let stand until bread has soaked up liquid, about 20 minutes.
• Set bowls in deep roasting pan. Transfer pan to oven; add enough boiling water to come 3 inches up sides of bowls. Bake 1 hour. Uncover; bake until set, about 30 minutes more. Serve warm or at room temperature, with sour lemon sauce. Puddings can be refrigerated up to 3 days; let cool completely before covering with plastic wrap. If desired, reheat in a 350-degree oven, just until warm.

CHOCOLATE CROISSANT BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray muffin cups or brownie pan with cooking spray.
• Mix milk, cream, eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract together in a bowl. Scrape the insides from each vanilla bean half into the milk mixture. Stir milk mixture until smooth and light yellow in color. Carefully stir croissant pieces into milk mixture until all pieces are wet; let soak for at least 10 minutes.
• Fold chocolate chips into croissant mixture. Spoon croissant mixture into the prepared muffin cups.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bubbling and golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool pudding for 30 minutes to 1 hour; transfer to a plate and sift powdered sugar over each.

DECADENT CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the cream, milk, vanilla seeds and pod, and cinnamon sticks, if using, in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for 30 minutes to infuse flavors.
• Cut the brioche into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut slices into quarters, setting aside the rounded top pieces. Fill a 9-by-12-inch gratin dish or a deep oval roasting dish with the quartered pieces.
• Return the milk mixture to a boil, remove from heat, and discard vanilla pod and cinnamon sticks. Add chocolate, and whisk until smooth. Combine egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl, and whisk to combine. Pour chocolate mixture very slowly into egg-yolk mixture, whisking constantly, until fully combined.
• Slowly pour half the chocolate custard over bread, making sure all the bread is soaked. Arrange the reserved bread on top in a decorative pattern, and press firmly so bottom layer of bread absorbs chocolate mixture. Spoon remaining custard over bread until completely covered and all cracks are filled. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the dish; press down to soak bread thoroughly. Remove plastic, wipe edges of the dish with a damp towel, and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Place gratin dish in a larger pan; fill outer pan with hot water halfway up the sides of the gratin dish. Bake until set, about 35 minutes. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes.
• Whisk the creme fraiche until soft peaks form. Serve pudding warm, garnished with creme fraiche and chocolate shavings.

MARTHA'S BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 3-quart baking dish and set aside. Combine currants and brandy in a small saucepan and heat over medium just until warm. Remove from heat, then cover and let stand 15 minutes. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons brandy.
• In a large bowl whisk together eggs, reserved brandy, salt, and sugar to combine. Add milk, cream, citrus zests, and orange juice to bowl and whisk until mixture is smooth and well-combined; stir in currants.
• Add half of brioche pieces to prepared baking dish; covering the bottom and shingling pieces as needed to fit. Ladle about half of egg mixture over top. Repeat layering with remaining half of bread pieces and egg mixture.
• Transfer dish to oven and bake 30 minutes. Remove dish and cover with parchment paper; return to oven and continue to bake until top is golden brown and custard is set, about 20 minutes more. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 10 to 20 minutes before serving.