White Chocolate Bread Pudding Recipe
with crème anglaise
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Ingredients
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Bread Pudding
Crème Anglaise (Sauce)
Finishing
Method
Bread Pudding
- 1
Prepare bread
Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Butter a 9x9-inch (or similar 8x8–9x13) baking dish with the melted butter. Spread the cubed bread in a large bowl and, if using, stir in the raisins or dried cherries so they are evenly distributed.
- 2
Warm dairy
In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup whole milk and 1 cup heavy cream. Warm over medium heat just until it begins to steam and small bubbles form at the edges (do not boil). Remove from heat.
- 3
Temper eggs and build custard
In a separate bowl, whisk together 4 whole eggs, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon fine sea salt until combined. Slowly pour about 1/2 cup of the warm milk-cream into the egg mixture in a thin stream while whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Then pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining warm milk-cream and whisk gently to combine.
- 4
Add white chocolate
Return the saucepan to very low heat and add the finely chopped white chocolate. Stir constantly until the chocolate is fully melted and the custard is smooth and slightly thickened (about 2–3 minutes). Do not boil. If the chocolate doesn’t fully melt, remove from heat and whisk until smooth.
- 5
Soak bread
Pour the warm white chocolate custard evenly over the bread cubes. Gently press the bread down so it soaks up the liquid. Let sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes so the bread absorbs the custard; occasionally press down to submerge dry pieces. If needed, pour any remaining custard over the bread before baking.
- 6
Bake
Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and place in the preheated 325°F oven. Bake covered for 25 minutes, then remove foil and bake an additional 20–25 minutes, until the center is set but still slightly jiggly and the top is light golden. Total baking time will be about 45–55 minutes depending on dish size and oven. A knife inserted in the center should come out mostly clean with some moist crumbs.
- 7
Rest
Remove from oven and let the pudding rest for 10–15 minutes before serving so it firms slightly and is easier to portion.
Crème Anglaise (Sauce)
- 8
Warm cream
While the pudding bakes or rests, combine 1 cup whole milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream with the split vanilla bean (scrape seeds into the milk and add the pod) in a saucepan. Warm over medium heat until just steaming; do not boil. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes to infuse vanilla, then discard the vanilla pod if used.
- 9
Whisk yolks and sugar
In a medium bowl, whisk together 5 egg yolks and 6 tablespoons granulated sugar until pale and slightly thickened.
- 10
- 11
Cook custard
Return the saucepan to low heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon (about 170–175°F / 77–80°C). Do not let it boil or it will curdle. This should take 5–8 minutes.
- 12
Finish and chill
Remove from heat, stir in 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt and, if using vanilla extract instead of a bean, add it now. Pour the crème anglaise through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any cooked bits. For immediate serving, keep warm over a very low bain-marie. For cooler sauce, cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until ready; rewarm gently before serving if desired.
Finishing & Serving
- 13
Plate
Spoon a generous amount of crème anglaise onto each serving plate or into a shallow bowl. Cut the white chocolate bread pudding into portions and place on top of or beside the sauce.
- 14
Garnish
Dust with powdered sugar if desired and garnish with fresh mint leaves or a little citrus zest for brightness. Serve warm.