Leftovers, even when dried out and stale or overripe and mushy are ingredients with potential that can be transformed into nourishing treasures and I’m quite certain that after all the winter holidaying and feasting, that you too have all the ingredients handy for this custardy bread pudding, crunchy on the top and creamy on the bottom !
The end result is all a question of the variety of leftovers you have. I had some baguette as well as a sweetened leavened bread called “fouace” which is like a dense brioche with hints of orange blossom, and of course an old pear and banana as you can see in the images, that I fried and caramelized with butter and sugar. And I decided to use up some leftover light cream that I had opened up a week before and added enough partly-skimmed milk to have the required amount of dairy needed. I also added a few dried cranberries and raisins too.
It's sometimes hard to judge the dryness or staleness of breads but if they’re just right, they will absorb about at least an equal amount or double that of their weight in liquid mixture, so before beginning fill up your baking tin(s) about ¾ full with the cubed bread, to get a better idea of how much you’ll need. I ended up using 2 medium tins for 2 loaf-shaped bread puddings, because the mixture was enough.
Be aware that these types of recipes are not fussy nor precise. You can adjust the quantities according to what you have handy, such as using a bit less of the ingredients of the liquid mixture or more cubed bread for a drier and breadier version, but this version is quite creamy and custardy.
Enjoy the return back to work and/or school and increase the enjoyment by making comforting foods for your loved ones … ;)
