Spiced Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Maple Espresso Butter
Adult French Toast Sticks or, an actually easy make ahead breakfast that feels fancy.
Hi Everyone!
Back again for another recipe this week. Hope you’re staying warm, dry and not too stressed over this week. 🦃
Thanksgiving can really put us through the wringer in so many ways. Culinarily, emotionally, financially, the list goes on.. I hope that whatever your plans are that you’re able to carve out some space and time for yourself. If you’re in charge of feeding a large crowd this year, remember to nourish yourself as you go.
If you find yourself in the midst of people who disagree or disapprove of who you are, remember the strong connections you have to people who see and care for you, all of you. Take time away when you need it (i’ve recently learned of the “cousin walk” lol) and reach out to those who have your back and keep you tethered when times are scary and uncertain. 💖
Today’s recipe was inspired by two things. A dish that i’ve actually never made but have always been so curious to attempt and a childhood staple that brings back such sweet nostalgia. The result is a twist on the traditional bread pudding that we see here in the states. Gently baking the pudding in a water bath ensures the custard doesn’t curdle. If you’ve never baked this way, you’ll be shocked at how smooth the results are and also how not-scary the technique really is.
Sankaya Faktong (สังขยาฟักทอง) Thai Pumpkin Custard is a dessert of coconut custard gently steamed directly inside of a pumpkin - usually a kabocha squash. To serve, the pumpkin is cut into wedges revealing a beautiful cross-section of the custard. I love the contrast of the orange pumpkin flesh and the light milky custard.
Growing up, breakfast was often a breakfast burrito from a pair of famous golden arches on the way to school. If we had a little more time it would be a blueberry pop-tart fresh from the toaster. Kid-me was always pushing for the best breakfast that my brain could conceive of at the time, French Toast Sticks. I loved those things. Way too sweet from the ludicrous amount of maple syrup I thought each bite needed and way too hot, scarfed down impatiently right from the microwave. (The liberality of my syrup usage was how I cooled down the magma-like sticks - I was a genius.)
The best part of French toast in my opinion is the outer surface - golden and crisp. The beauty of the French Toast Sticks is the twofold increase in surface area. I remember having French toast at a sit down restaurant once as a kid and being disappointed that they didn’t live up to the frozen delicacy I had waiting for me back at home.
Pumpkin Bread Pudding is the mashup of these two special dishes. A gently spiced coconut custard steeped deliciously through pieces of fluffy brioche. Pan searing each slice in a little maple espresso butter takes this to a whole new level. Something that kid-me would recognize but something that adult me finds just sweet enough with a heavy pinch of flaky salt.
A few notes…
You can tear by hand or cut your bread into cubes for this recipe. The torn bread will yield a feathery textured bread pudding that’s a little more densely packed. Cubes will create more space for the custard and you’ll notice more textural contrast in each slice/bite.
If you’re short on time and can’t let your bread sit out to dry. Use a 350F oven to quickly dry out the bread for about 10 to 15 minutes, stopping halfway to flip and move around the pieces for equal drying and to avoid taking on any color.
Draining the pumpkin on a few layers of paper towel is a quick way to amp up the pumpkin flavor and reduce flavorless water in the puree. Spread about 250g of canned puree onto 3 to 4 layers of paper towel and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then measure the amount called for in the custard (135g)
This loaf is perfect for a “fancy” make ahead breakfast or even a few days of breakfasts. Make the bread pudding the night before, then in the morning cut the slices you want to griddle, leaving the remainder of the loaf wrapped tightly in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
If you’re serving the entire loaf all at once, griddled slices can be kept warm on a sheet tray in a 250F oven until plating.
Do you really need to use a water bath to bake this recipe?
No. But wait! Keep reading!
A water bath, or Bain-marie, is used when baking custards such as creme brûlée or cheesecake. The standard recipe for these and almost all custards contains eggs. When eggs are exposed to enough heat (140F/60C), the proteins inside begin to unwind and link up with their neighbors to form long chains. These linked proteins change the texture of the egg from liquid to solid. This is how custards “set” but also how your scrambled or boiled eggs go from raw to cooked.
The water in a water bath helps by insulating the custard, ensuring that the eggs cook slowly and evenly. This produces a custard that is silky smooth, not curdled or cracked. If you skip the water bath, the outsides of the bread pudding will cook faster and hotter, the results will be a little more cake-like but still delicious.
Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Maple Espresso Butter
Makes one 8x4 inch loaf
340g white bread, brioche or challah work best
260g coconut milk, from a can
170g whole milk
55g light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cinnamon sticks
3 star anise
5 cloves
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
135g pumpkin puree drained on a few layers of paper towels (from about 250g canned pumpkin)
Maple Espresso Butter
113g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon instant espresso
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons flay salt, for serving (I like smoked Maldon salt)
Cut the bread into 1/2 inch cubes or tear into similar size pieces by hand. Spread the bread out onto a sheet tray and if possible allow it to sit uncovered for 1 hour to overnight to dry out. If this isn’t an option, preheat the oven to 350F with a rack in the middle position and proceed.
Lightly oil and line an 8x4 loaf pan with a long piece of parchment with 1 to 2 inches extending on each side to help lift the bread pudding out of the pan after baking.
In a medium sauce pan, place the coconut milk, whole milk, brown sugar, salt, and all of the whole spices. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the edge of the milk just starts to quiver or bubble. Remove from the heat, cover with a tight lid, and let sit to steep for 10 to 15 minutes.
Place the bread pieces into the prepared pan. Be sure to fill the corners and edges of the pan. The bread should come right to the lip of the pan or may even mound above it. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, and pumpkin puree until smooth. The spiced milk mixture should be warm but not too hot, you can test by sticking a clean finger into the milk. Strain the milk through a fine mesh sieve into the egg mixture. Whisk thoroughly until fully combined. Discard the spices. Pour the custard back through the sieve and into the pan of bread. Be sure to spread the custard evenly across the loaf pan, soaking the entirety of the bread.
Use the back of a spatula to gently press down any pieces of dry bread sticking out above the custard. Tightly cover the top of the loaf pan with aluminum foil and place the pan into a larger 9x13 inch pan. Use a kettle or a small pan over high heat to boil 5 to 6 cups of water. When the water is bowling, carefully place the 9x13 inch pan into the oven and pour the water inside until it reaches a little above half way up the outside of the 8x4 inch pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.
While the bread pudding bakes, make the maple espresso butter by whisking together the butter, espresso powder, and maple syrup. If the mixture starts to break, whisk more aggressively/rapidly to emulsify it. Place in a sealed container and set aside.
When the bread pudding is finished baking the top should look matte and be firm to the touch - similar to a block of firm tofu. Turn off the oven and prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon to cool slowly for 30 minutes. Remove the loaf pan from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before moving to the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
When ready to serve - Run an offset spatula or knife around the inside of the loaf pan to release the bread pudding. Use the parchment paper to lift out the pudding onto a cutting board. Cut crosswise into 3/4 inch slices while you preheat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat.
Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the espresso butter to the skillet, swirling the pan to coat the bottom. Add a few slices of the bread pudding and cook each side for 2 to 3 minutes until golden and crispy. If the butter begins to smoke remove the skillet and reduce the heat to low. Resume cooking when the pan has cooled slightly. Serve each slice with more espresso maple butter and a big pinch of flaky salt.
