I love bread pudding. Always have. I can pass up cake, cookies; pie and ice cream, but bread pudding is my weakness. There’s something about its chewy texture, hearty nature and simplicity that’s irresistible. It could also be the whiskey or rum sauce…
Well-made bread pudding is hard to find in restaurants. It’s soggy, mushy and often times too sweet. Preparing it at home, I find that sturdy bread works best. Panettone, Brioche and Challah are each superb. And bread pudding isn’t just for dessert. I make a savory variation with bacon and kale.
Perhaps, that’s why I enjoy bread pudding so much. It’s easy, versatile and endlessly forgiving.When my friend Jess Thomson, a brilliant writer and recipe developer, sent me a copy of her new book, Top Pot Hand-Forged Doughnuts: Secrets and Recipes for the Home Baker, I knew it was going to be a success. What got me even more excited than its puffed out cover was the fact it included a recipe for doughnut bread pudding.
For those of you not familiar, Seattle-based Top Pot Doughnuts is the penultimate doughnut shop. Founders Mark and Michael Klebeck have elevated doughnut-making to an art form. So, joining forces with Jess and photographer extraordinaire Scott Pitts, they produced a one-of-a-kind cookbook that empowers home bakers to make the most indulgent doughnuts -- without a deep fryer or special tools.
From the Classic Twist to Spiced Chai Cake Doughnuts and Raspberry Bullseyes, there’s a recipe in the book for everyone. Happily for me, there was that glazed doughnut bread pudding recipe.
I followed the recipe to the letter and, in less than an hour, baked a decadent and unforgettable dessert. Sure, it was a splurge, but one so satisfying, I can quickly and easily return to my healthy eating habits.
Next weekend, maybe I’ll try the Bavarian Cream Bismarks.
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