Friday, January 27, 2006

Cinnamon Raisin Bread to Bread Pudding Valentine

During the holidays (goodness, that was so long ago, January is almost over), I ate a number of bread puddings, prepared a number of ways, and all very good. I also read a number of posts describing some not so good outcomes and some better outcomes. Anyway, for some reason I did not get my fill of this dessert often made from leftover bread nor did I understand my inner drive to want to create the dessert that continued to haunt me.

While thumbing through Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook, I noted the recipe on page 301, "Cinnamon-Raisin Bread". It wasn't the call of the picture nor recipe that drew me to want to make this. It was the thought that once made, I could use the cinnamon raisin bread for a bread pudding. The recipe can also be found on the Martha Stewart Living website. I really had to want to make this recipe as the process took quite a while, rise after rise. In the end, I had two very nice looking loaves of cinnamon raisin bread.

Martha's Recipe

Ingredients

Prepping the Dough
Rise After Rise
While allowing the baked loaves to cool, I went on to search for a nice custard recipe to use to soak the bread in. I adapted a recipe posted on the Delicious Life in December. I substituted the vanilla extract for almond ectract and added a dash of nutmeg. I also cut the amount of sugar and cinnamon as there was plenty of these in the cinnamon bread also. I didn't want an overly sweet pudding.

Custard
3 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar (there is sugar in the cinnamon raisin bread)
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash of freshly ground nutmeg
4 cups half and half
1/2 cup Nutella

The custard ingredients are combined and whisked.

I sliced and cubed one of my freshly baked loaves of cinnamon bread placing this in a bow3l and then poured enough of the custard mixture to cover the cubes. This I allowed to soak for about 3 hours. I also warmed 1/2 cup Nutella so that it could be drizzled throughout the soaked bread cubes.

I decided to use my valentine heart bundt pan just because Valentine's day is around the corner. The pudding was cooked in a 350 degree oven for about an hour.

(Note: I used a small valentine heart shaped pan. The recipe was enough to make two of these hearts. Side note- Use of the Nutella was not a good idea. I wouldn't use it this way again. Possibly drizzled over the finished product would be better.)

The finished cinnamon raisin nutella bread pudding baked to a nice crust in the heart pan. I was able to plate it nicely. I purchased this heart pan from Bed, Baths and Beyond with a $5.00 coupon but I also saw it at Williams-Sonoma for a similar price before the coupon.

Overall, I enjoyed the bread pudding. I'll place this adaptation in my keep file.

Soaking Bread Cubes



Heart Shaped Bread Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding with Nutella

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

holy smokes! i LOOOOVE that your bread pudding is a heart!

hearts are one of my favorite shapes (omg, is that girlie or what?!?), so valentine's day is awesome (though i hate the fact that it's so commercial and lovey dovey LOL!)

again, it's beautiful!

sylvie1950 said...

Thanks Sarah. My husband wasn't impressed with the shape. Some guys just have no appreciation for romance.

I spend a lot of time on Valentine Day presentations for him and sometimes wonder is it just for me.