It's a tale as old as time.You decide to salvage your stale bread by transforming it into a rich bread pudding, and instead of getting that beautiful soft, custard-style texture that is synonymous with this dessert, you wind-up with something that looks more like it is covered in scrambled eggs. That's not the taste or texture you are going for with this sweet. If you've fallen victim to this type of eggy result with your bread pudding, don't worry, there is an easy trick to help ensure it doesn't happen again. You simply need to beat the egg yolk and the whites until they are truly combined.
Bread pudding's magic is how the old, dried bread can be re-invigorated with amixture of milk, eggs, and sugar that it soaks up like a sponge, but when the eggs aren't properly beaten you have a separation of the beaten yolk from the beaten whites which gives you the scrambled egg look and flavor. To combat this issue, concentrate on your technique. If you don't feel proficient using a fork or whisk, break out the handheld mixer or immersion blender andbeat the eggs until they reachwhat is known as the ribbon stage.
The ribbon stage is when your eggs have been beaten to perfection. While you generally use the ribbon technique when you make a cake like Tres Leches, it also works wonders for bread pudding. What are you looking for?The texture of your beaten eggs should be foamy; the color is pale; and there is an increase in volume. To achieve this state, it takes between three to five minutes of constant and consistent whisking or beating, depending on your chosen kitchen tool.
Egg temperature can also affect how the yolk and whites blend together. It's recommended you start with room temperature eggs, but if you forget, cold will still work. It just might take a little longer to get your eggs looking the way you want them to. But regardless of cold or room temperature, make certain your eggs are fresh. Older eggs are going to really make you work for the consistency.
Once your eggs are properly beaten, you can whisk in the other ingredients and the mixture will remain cohesive as it bakes and creates the creamy taste and texture you want with a bread pudding.
What are you looking for? The texture of your beaten eggs should be foamy; the color is pale; and there is an increase in volume. To achieve this state, it takes between three to five minutes of constant and consistent whisking or beating, depending on your chosen kitchen tool.
Bread pudding's magic is how the old, dried bread can be re-invigorated with a mixture of milk, eggs, and sugar that it soaks up like a sponge, but when the eggs aren't properly beaten you have a separation of the beaten yolk from the beaten whites which gives you the scrambled egg look and flavor.
It typically contains milk or cream, although there are non-dairy puddings made with plant-based "milk." Pudding is similar to custard in that they both can contain eggs and milk, but pudding is usually thickened with a starch, whereas custard is thickened by the eggs.
The folks at Cooks' Illustrated figured out “that eggy flavor comes from the sulfur compounds in egg whites.” So in their bread pudding, they eliminated the egg whites entirely and just used yolks—sort of like you would in a crème anglaise.
Bake about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Another way to judge whether the pudding is fully baked, is to gently press down on the center of the pudding. If any custard comes up to the top, the pudding needs to be baked a little longer.
If you pour whisked eggs directly into a hot pan, they'll begin to cook immediately, resulting in something that looks and tastes a lot more like scrambled eggs than custard.
Before the inside of your pudding is set, the outer layer can become burnt and dry, which is why covering bread pudding during baking is the best move.
One major problem that you may have come across is bread pudding that is just too wet. A good bread pudding needs to be moist -- it is made from custard, after all -- but it should not be anywhere close to runny.
Cover it and refrigerate until ready to bake. Let it warm on the counter while your oven preheats and then bake as usual. Note that the longer you soak the bread pudding the softer and more custard-like the interior will be.
So, don't grab the freshest loaf possible when you make your bread pudding. If you do, it is a higher chance you'll end up with overly gloopy bread pudding. This is because the soft bread turns into a paste, which isn't as appealing to the eyes either.
A low temperature and constant stirring are important to prevent the custard from curdling. Nigella also suggests that you half fill the sink with cold water so that if it looks as if the custard is starting to curdle you can dip the base of the pan into the water and whisk vigorously, to cool the custard quickly.
If the bread doesn't soak up enough custard, the end result will be mushy. The solution is to use bread that has dried out a bit. If possible, buy the bread a couple of days early, then slice it and leave it out.
Using a measuring cup or ladle, slowly add around ½ cup of the hot liquid to the eggs while whisking quickly. Whisking while adding the liquid slowly prevents the eggs from getting cooked right away by the hot liquid and curdling.
Introduction: My name is Dean Jakubowski Ret, I am a enthusiastic, friendly, homely, handsome, zealous, brainy, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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