irish soda bread pudding with vanilla bean creme anglaise

Posted on March 16, 2014 by natalie @ wee eats

Hello, friends.

Today is Sunday.

Also known as: March 16th.

Also known as: My Birthday! (/thunder claps)

But today’s post is not about my birthday, or the two cakes I made, or my new birthday toys. We can save that for Thursday.

Today, my friends, is about this:

Bread Pudding.

With creme anglaise.

Made from your St. Patrick’s day leftovers.

No, not your corned beef and cabbage leftovers (although now I have a strange urge to create a savory corned beef bread pudding). This is made from your irish soda bread leftovers.

You know that bread we made last week? Well, chances are you didn’t eat the whole loaf, and if you haven’t tossed it by now it’s definitely stale.

Let’s not be wasteful, OK? Not when there’s deliciousness to be had.

This bread pudding was inspired by this beauty from Foodness Gracious, who is responsible for flipping the Irish soda bread switch in my head this year. Seeing that picture causing me to create last week’s tasty St. Patrick’s Day treat in the first place JUST so that I could use it to make bread pudding. The fact that the soda bread came out so tasty on its own was just a bonus.

So, transform your stale, old bread into sweet, creamy, deliciousness with the help of just a few eggs and cream. I bake mine uncovered because I enjoy the contrast of the creamy custard to the crunchy crust, but if you prefer a tender crumb through and through, cover yours with foil while baking.

Irish Soda Bread Pudding

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Yield: 1 11-inch (2 quart) casserole

Ingredients

For the bread pudding

5 to 6 cups irish soda bread (like this recipe) cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 cup whole milk
5 egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 Tablespoon set aside
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
pinch salt

For the creme anglaise

1 cup heavy cream or half and half
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract

Instructions

For the bread pudding

1. Preheat oven to 325F
2. Cut bread into 1-inch cubes and fill 2-quart casserole with bread. In a medium bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, milk, egg yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, vanilla, and salt. Pour over the bread cubes and let sit 20 minutes to allow the bread to absorb the milk mixture.
3. Sprinkle remaining tablespoon of sugar over the bread pudding and bake in the center of the oven for 45 minutes, or until top is lightly browned and the center is set. When it is done baking, the outside should be set and pressing on the center should not release any liquid from the bread pudding. (Internal temperature should reach 165F degrees)

For the creme anglaise

1. In a small saucepan, heat half and half over medium-low heat until bubbles form around the edges, about 6 minutes. You do not want the cream to full boil or simmer.
2. While the cream is heating, whisk egg yolks and sugar together in a small bowl until combined.
3. Once the cream is heated, whisk warm cream into the eggs a tablespoon at a time to temper the yolks.
4. Once about half the cream has been added to the yolks pour the entire egg yolk mixture into the pan with the cream and continue to heat over medium-low, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens.
5. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use. (Can be made 1 day ahead)
Serve creme anglaise over warm bread pudding.

Notes

* You don't have to use irish soda bread, any cubed bread will do. I recommend challah or brioche.

* If your bread isn't quite stale yet, you can cube the bread and let it sit out for about an hour to dry out, or pop it in the oven and give it a quick light toasting.

* If using unflavored bread, I recommend adding some cinnamon to the bread pudding batter, because cinnamon makes everything better.

* Leftover slices of bread pudding can be stored, individually wrapped, in the freezer. Reheat in the microwave, covered, about 1 to 2 minutes on 50% power, checking periodically.

https://wee-eats.com/2014/03/16/irish-soda-bread-pudding-with-vanilla-bean-creme-anglaise/

irish soda bread

Posted on March 4, 2014 by natalie @ wee eats

Tis the season for corned beef and cabbage, for green beer and green socks, and for soda bread.

Irish soda bread, to be exact.

For those of you who aren’t aware – Irish soda bread is a yeast-free bread, sometimes sweet and sometimes not, that is leavened with baking soda (hence the “soda” bread) and usually filled with things like raisins and caraway. It has a bit of a reputation for being dense, dry, and bland.

I know what you’re thinking, “MY GOD THAT SOUNDS DELICIOUS! WHERE CAN I GET SOME!?”

Clearly nostalgia is playing a role in my desire to stuff my face with biscuit-like slices of dense flavorless bread. However, since I was going to have a whole loaf of the stuff laying around, I wanted to make it palatable enough for FH to enjoy as well. Especially after he said that it sounded “absolutely awful”… and I really couldn’t argue with him on that topic.

Though soda bread is a popular Irish recipe, it’s not necessarily the most beloved St. Patty’s Day food on the planet.

irish soda bread 1028

So, I decided to get to work on making an improved version of the traditional Irish soda bread. Our typical soda bread which is basically flour, butter, a bit of sugar, baking soda, caraway seeds, and raisins… got a bit of an overhaul.

Ok, maybe a lot of an overhaul.

I added buttermilk and egg to improve the texture, upped the sugar to increase the sweetness (read: flavor), nixed the caraway (but then felt guilty and added a pinch of cardamom), and replaced the rage-inducing raisins with dried cherries and currants. I tried really hard to think of a green dried fruit, and debated dying some golden raisins green (you know, for St. Patty’s Day!) but golden raisins are still raisins and raisins have NO PLACE in my baked goods. Or my life.

Ever.

And although currants are very similar to raisins, I think it’s because they are super small and have a different flavor that they make me less angry. And dried cherries are delicious. Really you could use any fruit you like – I think dried apricots would go well in here, too (plus, I could possibly get them to a passable shade of green, maybe).

The result? Success! Big success.

irish soda bread 1036

Like FH-impressing success. (Although, I’ve been proving him wrong a lot lately)

The resulting bread had a much more tender crumb than your average soda bread with more flavor and a nice well-developed crust on the exterior. So even if you have tried (and disliked) soda bread in the past, give this one a try and I think you might change your mind.

irish soda bread

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 1 10-inch round loaf

Ingredients

3 cups flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch cardamom
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into cubes
1 1/2 cup mix-ins (dried fruit of your choice)
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tablespoons orange juice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F degrees
In a large bowl or stand mixer, mix the dry ingredients together.
Add the butter and cut into the dough or incorporate with paddle attachment.
Add the currants and stir to combine.
Add the liquid ingredients (buttermilk, egg, and orange juice) and mix just until the mixture is moistened.
Turn out onto lightly-floured surface and knead gently for a few turns (about 5 to 10 turns) until the dough forms a cohesive ball.
Transfer dough ball to parchment-lined baking sheet and pat into 1-inch thick disk. Cut an "x" into the top of the dough, about 1/4-inch deep.
Bake 35-45 minutes until exterior is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

I mixed this in my KitchenAid with the paddle attachment, but you could easily use a large bowl and wooden spoon.

https://wee-eats.com/2014/03/04/irish-soda-bread/

monkey bread

Posted on January 27, 2014 by natalie @ wee eats

Hey guys, remember this thing from my Christmas brunch?

Allow me to refresh your memory: it involves soft, pillowy dough, lots of cinnamon and sugar, and a warm, gooey, butterscotch glaze. Is that jogging your memory at all?

Good.

You know those dishes that just instantly transport you back to your childhood? You smell it cooking and suddenly you’re eight again at grandma’s house rolling pieces of dough around?

This is one of those dishes.

I know we all love to do all the things and make things from scratch, but sometimes it’s nice to just take it easy, ya know?

When I was little, monkey bread started with cans of biscuit dough and cinnamon sugar, then over the years taking bits and pieces from other family traditions the biscuits evolved into bread dough and the cinnamon sugar got amped up with pudding mix.

I know what you’re thinking, because I thought it at first too. Pudding mix?!?

Yeah, wipe that skeptical look of your face. It works, and it’s not only “good” but it’s like, irresistibly good.

So good that your fiance may have an intense internal debate on Christmas morning about which is more important: eating monkey bread or your relationship.

He may then stare at you in still in his pajamas, lured out of bed by the smell of baking cinnamon, like you’re the meanest person in the world for telling him that he has to wait for company to arrive before he can eat it.

This may force you to remind him that the only way he will have monkey bread in his future is if you’re still around to make it.

All theoretical, of course.

Oh, and the best part about this delicious magical breakfast bread? You can assemble it the night before and then just bake it in the morning. Doesn’t that just beat the crap out of getting up at the buttcrack of dawn to make some fresh cinnamon rolls or pull-apart bread?

Yeah, I thought so too. I mean, I love my family, but we all have our limits.

So make this and it can be your “easy” dish, or your only dish, no one will care how long it took (or didn’t take) you to make it because it’s so gosh darn delicious.

FH and I were still eating it like five days later and IT WAS JUST AS SOFT AS THE FIRST DAY. I swear this stuff is magic.

monkey bread

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 13 hours, 45 minutes

Yield: 1 bundt cake

Ingredients

22 frozen dinner rolls, I use Rhodes
1 small package cook-and-serve butterscotch pudding
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Set out rolls to thaw slightly - I laid mine on a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap and then covered the tops with plastic wrap to keep them from drying out. It took about 45 min to 1 hour for them to thaw.
Grease and flour a bundt pan. Melt butter in microwave and then stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla extract; let cool slightly to room temperature.
Cut rolls in half and toss into bundt pan.
Once half the rolls are in the pan, sprinkle with half of the pudding mix and pour half the butter mixture. Repeat with remaining rolls, brown sugar mixture, and butter.
Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight.
The next morning, preheat the oven to 350F and set bundt pan on the counter about 30 minutes to warm to room temperature (I actually set mine on top of the oven while it was preheating to try to get more lift out of it).
Once ready to bake, place bundt pan on a sheet pan and remove the plastic wrap. Bake 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown and cooked through, covering with foil after 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes. Invert onto a rimmed serving dish (this is important, because there will be goo oozing everywhere).

Notes

*If you don't want to wait overnight, place your covered bundt cake on the counter and let rise until doubled in size (about 2 hours) and then follow baking instructions. The speed of the rise will depend on how warm your kitchen is.

*If you can't find (or don't want to use) frozen dinner rolls, you could definitely use homemade rolls - I recommend sticking with either white bread or brioche dough.

https://wee-eats.com/2014/01/27/monkey-bread/

pumpkin scones

Posted on January 4, 2014 by natalie @ wee eats

Because it’s the weekend and weekends are for staying in your PJs for as long as humanly possible.

And because it’s winter and therefore still considered an acceptable time of the year to eat pumpkin-flavored things.

And because apparently I think everything needs to be drizzled with icing.

Everything.

And because, if you haven’t noticed, Starbuck’s fancy new bakery line wants nothing to do with their classic pumpkin spice scones that I anxiously await every year, so I was likely to start getting the shakes if I didn’t somehow consume a pumpkin scone before the end of winter.

These scones are smaller than the Starbucks variety, meaning you won’t want to run off of a bridge (as badly) once you realize you’ve inhaled the whole thing (or two of them). They’re also taller (and craggy-er) than the Starbucks scone, which I find to be more enjoyable, personally.

And while I considered using royal icing on them (I’m half-convinced that’s what is on theirs, or some sort of concoction that can only be made with high fructose corn syrups and/or various types of hydrogenated vegetable oils), royal icing is a bit much for the morning, wouldn’t you agree?

So I did the usual mix some powdered sugar with a little bit of milk and vanilla and drizzled it on top. Then I thought I should also do a version with some pumpkin spice mixed in, and drizzled that on top, because PUMPKIN!

To review: these are not Starbuck’s pumpkin scones. But they ARE pumpkin scones. And they are delicious.

I made one batch of these (for me, that was about 12 scones) and then froze them to bake at my leisure. Now I can preheat the oven while I make my coffee, pop in a scone, and have a scone breakfast ready in no time flat. I don’t even have to think about it. Which is convenient for any of you who are planning to start a diet in January, you can bake one or two this weekend, and freeze the rest to reward your post-diet self! 😉

pumpkin scones

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes

Yield: 12 scones

Ingredients

For the scones

2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold butter
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
2 large eggs
11/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For baking

2 Tablespoons milk
Your favorite glaze* or cinnamon-sugar (if desired)

Instructions

Make the scones

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and spice. Work in the butter until coarse crumbles form (I do this by grating the butter into the mixture, then using my hands or a pastry cutter to cut the butter in). A pastry-cutter is recommended, as you want the butter to stay as cold as possible.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla until smooth. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until moistened.
Scrape dough onto a floured surface and divide the dough in half. Pat each half into a circle about 5- to 6-inches in diameter and about 3/4-inch thick.
Transfer the dough circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet and cut each circle into 6 wedges. Cover and place in the freezer 1 hour.*

To bake the scones

Preheat oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Place wedges onto parchment and brush with milk and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar (if using).
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and the side of the scone looks dry and baked.
Remove scones from oven and drizzle with glaze (if desired) or enjoy as-is.

Notes

* Once frozen, you may transfer the scones to an airtight freezer-safe bag for storage. Bake from frozen for same amount of time.

* Alternatively, you could probably bake these without freezing (for when you're short on time), but I haven't tried. I would estimate they would take about 15 minutes if you don't freeze them (but you might want to start checking around 10). If baking fresh, they may not raise as high as these did.

* For the glaze, I used 1/2 cup of powdered sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir until your desired consistency is reached, adding more powdered sugar to thicken or more milk to thin.

* For a pumpkin-spice glaze, add 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to your powdered sugar before adding the milk and vanilla. Prepare the same way as the regular glaze

https://wee-eats.com/2014/01/04/pumpkin-scones/

cranberry orange pull apart bread

Posted on December 3, 2013 by natalie @ wee eats

Yes, I KNOW that we JUST had pull-apart bread. But, you see, since my recipe make two loaves, and it’s delicious, and… you can never have too much of a good thing.

Or something. I think that’s how it goes, right?

I’ve been trying out this whole “orange-cranberry” thing that everyone’s been talking about… and apparently everyone in the whole world loves but I had never heard of… turns out they were onto something.

So, I give to you, the cranberry-orange pull-apart bread… also known as “the longest-named-bread-in-all-the-land.” Also known as, “The only thing that saved my first loaf from being completely devoured.” Also known as, actually no, that’s all it’s known as.

When the fiance asked what I was making and I said “cranberry orange bread” he was super unexcited and responded much like any ~~small child~~ normal adult would, with extreme prejudice and skepticism.

Apparently I wasn’t the only person on the planet who hadn’t combined oranges and cranberries into delicious.

So, if there are anymore of you out there, I’m here to let you know that I put oranges with cranberries. And it was delicious.

Even the fiance loved it.

I wasn’t sure if there would be enough moisture in the mix to rehydrate them, and there wasn’t. While the bread was still very good, I think it would have benefitted from the juicy berries. So, I would recommend re-hydrating them in some orange liqueur, orange juice, or even just some water, for about 30 minutes before throwing them into the bread.

Alternatively, you could probably use some orange marmalade instead of orange sugar for the filling, or fresh cranberries instead of dried, or leftover cranberry sauce even. I didn’t have orange marmalade, fresh cranberries, or leftover cranberry sauce, but I did have a bag of oranges and a bag of dried cranberries.

I mean, if cinnamon bread is filled with cinnamon-sugar then clearly orange sugar would be perfect for this, right? So, I zested the oranges into some sugar and VOILA! Orange sugar was born! Then I sprinkled the cranberries as best I could and shoved any stragglers into the pan after stacking the dough pieces.

And again with the glaze.

cranberry orange pull apart bread

Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Yield: 2 loaves

This recipe makes 2 loaves but it can easily be halved to make just one loaf, or you can make two different kinds of loaves filled with cinnamon-sugar or pumpkin

Ingredients

1 recipe of your favorite cinnamon roll dough (my favorite recipe below)

For the dough

2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 packet active dry yeast
4 cups + 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; divided
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

For the filling

1 cup granulated sugar
5 Tablespoons orange zest (about 3 to 4 large navel oranges)
1 cup dried cranberries* (see note below)
1 stick of butter; softened to room temperature

For the glaze

1/4 to 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon orange juice
2 teaspoons milk; plus extra if needed

Instructions

For the filling

In a small bowl, mix together sugar and orange zest, set aside while you prepare the dough.
In another bowl, reconstitute dried cranberries (optional, but recommended)

For the dough

In a large (8 cup) saucepan, mix the milk, sugar, and vegetable oil. Heat over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is steaming. Remove from heat and cool to luke-warm (110-115F degrees), then add the yeast. Stir to combine; let sit 5 minutes to allow yeast to bloom.
Stir 4 cups of flour into the milk mixture and put lid on the pot. Allow to sit for 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Once the dough has risen, add remaining dry ingredients and stir to combine. Pour dough out onto a large sheet of saran wrap and wrap dough tightly. Place in refrigerator for 1 hour or up to overnight. (You could also roll the dough out immediately by sprinkling the counter with flour and kneading until the dough is no longer sticky. Once the dough isn't sticky, cover with a kitchen towel for 5 minutes to allow the dough to rest)

To roll the dough

Pour dough onto lightly-floured surface and separate into two equal halves. Roll one half to a 12 x 20-inch rectangle and cover the other with a kitchen towel to prevent from drying out. Spread softened butter over the dough. Cut the rectangle lengthwise into 6 long 2-inch wide strips.
Spoon generous amounts of orange sugar onto one strip of dough and sprinkle with cranberries, top with another strip and sprinkle sugar/cranberries onto that strip. Repeat until all of the strips are in a pile and covered with sugar/cranberries.
Slice the strip of dough into 5 4-inch wide strips. Stack strips tall-wise into a loaf pan. It will be sloppy, they'll flop everywhere, it's OK. I actually propped my bread pan on its side to make the first few strips a little easier.
Repeat with the other half of dough, sugar, cranberries, and butter.

To bake the dough

Cover and let rise 20 minutes while the oven preheats.
Preheat oven to 350F. Once dough has risen and oven is preheated, cook bread 45 to 55 minutes until cooked through. If the top starts to get too brown, lightly tent with a piece of foil and continue cooking.
Cool in pans 10 minutes, then turn out onto cooling rack to continue cooling.

For the glaze

Mix ingredients together, adding more milk if the mixture is too thick or more powdered sugar if the mixture is too thin.

Notes

*Those of you who thermom your bread want the final temp to be between 190F and 200F.

*Glaze is entirely optional, if you do use a glaze be sure to pour it on while the bread is still nice and warm.

*You can rehydrate dried cranberries by covering with water, or another liquid. Pour liquid over dried cranberries and let stand 30 minutes.

https://wee-eats.com/2013/12/03/cranberry-orange-pull-apart/

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