YA’LL, I think I created something genius. I wanted to find a witty line or joke to introduce it but I am just gonna say it.
RICE CRISPY TREAT BREAD PUDDING.
Before you run away, hear me out.
Bread pudding is one of my favorite breakfasts/desserts. There’s just something about stale bread soaked in eggy milk, mixed with random pantry leftovers, then cooked until set, that is so satisfying. It doesn’t sound appealing, but it is damn good. That's the beauty of cooking - how ingredients transform when they're mixed in certain ways, turning something questionable into something delightful. Using leftovers, going from "meh" to "YES".
The texture of bread pudding is unlike anything else: soft and almost mushy in the center, crisp on the edges. Moments of crunch from the topping, speckled with bites of chew if you add dried fruit.
Then, there’s the flavor: warmth from vanilla and/or cinnamon, bitterness from dark chocolate, salt for balance, and of course, that addictive can’t-quite-put-my-finger-on-it delicious flavor that can only come from one thing: nut butter*.
It is comforting, satisfying, wholesome, and when done right, perfectly balanced. If I nail a bread pudding, I could eat half a batch in one sitting. Actually, I could eat half a batch even if it’s just ok, because I can never get enough of the texture. I'm really a texture forward gal**.
I also love bread pudding for its versatility and adaptability. Literally you throw anything at it (or in it), and it’ll find a way to make it delicious. This recipe is proof of this. Recipe is a generous word here, but let’s just go with it.
For this version, I used rice crispy treats and it was still delicious. Granted, I am not talking about any old rice crispy treat - definitely not the traditional marshmallow ones. The ones I used were homemade, bound with chocolate and nut butter, sans marshmallows. There isn't anything wrong with the marshmallow ones; they’re just not my cup of tea, precisely because of the marshmallows. I prefer my rice crispy treats with another type of binder, like nut butter***. Chocolate works great too, you just have to really like chocolate because it is INTENSE.
You may be wondering, how did we end up with rice crispy treat leftovers? Long story short, I made a sculpture for one of my classes back in March (remember that time?) out of rice crispies. When I was deciding what material to use for the project, I toyed with the idea of food because conceptually it was interesting to use something ephemeral to construct a monument (which implies a degree of longevity). As someone who is very picky about wasting food - as in, I do not accept that we throw away food in this house - I thought we would be able to eat my sculpture once I was done with it. It would be fine! I told myself. Well, it wasn’t fine. Fast forward three weeks, and the leftover treats were still sitting in our fridge and freezer. Turns out we couldn’t eat an entire sculpture made of crispy treats. Who knew.
By the time the three week mark hit, I thought, you really need to make something with these crispy treats.
But I couldn’t figure out how. In reality, that’s why they ended up that long in the fridge. It wasn’t just about the treats. My fear of failure and uncertainty had materialized into this large mound of rice crispy cereal. It stared at me every time I opened the fridge. I was avoiding it, but its presence certainly was not avoidable.
My parents were growing impatient and ready to throw the crispies out. Frankly, I was too. I was tired of having anxiety every time I opened the fridge. I could feel the distress mounting, growing, hovering over me like a grey cloud threatening to burst into a storm. The more I evaded having to do something with them, the more I remembered they were there.
But stronger than my fear, anxiety, and stress was my determination to not throw the crispies away. I persisted, even when my parents had already opened the garbage can. No, I said. Even in normal times, I am a stickler about not wasting food, but this has been amplified because of the pandemic. I couldn’t accept wasting that much.
I had no choice now. I had to face my fear.
What was I talking about? Oh yes, rice crispy treats. And bread pudding. As I said, I did not know what to make with them. They couldn’t be used as a regular baking ingredient because they were already a “baked good” in themselves. I needed a recipe - or in this case a template - where it didn’t matter what I put in it. It would still be good. Something flexible, adaptable, like those “kitchen sink” cookies or the "throw whatever you have in your pantry" fudge. Something comforting and homemade, no complicated food science allowed.
And that’s when I remembered the bread pudding****.
In my family, we always have bread, not just because we’re French, but because my dad makes fresh loaves (he now bakes two at a time) pretty regularly. While we usually finish them all - and by we, I mean me - there are always those last bits leftover, the end pieces that get left behind, abandoned like pizza crusts. Usually, they end up dry and brittle, which is to say, unappealing (unless of course, you’re like me and you enjoy nibbling on those ends too). Those remnants are the perfect fodder for bread pudding. For those rare times we don’t have enough bread to make a full pudding, I add other stuff. Enter: the rice crispy treats. I mean, it’s logical right?
Bread pudding is the perfect vehicle for all the odds and ends lurking in your pantry or fridge. Have a random piece of fruit that’s almost rotting? In the bread pudding it goes. Have endless “almost done” packages of dried fruit/nuts/chocolate? Yep, throw them in. Need to figure out what to do with all those nut milks (or regular milk) that are about to go bad? Those are exactly what you want for this. Have that really annoying leftover that has been sitting on your shelf for god knows how long, staring you down every time you open the fridge? You know what to do.
But more than just being one of the best ways to reuse and therefore not waste food, bread pudding acts as a balm to our pandemic sores. I mean even the name says it all. Bread - the lifeblood of many homes and cultures, the epitome of simplicity and sustenance. Pudding - something equally comforting, uncomplicated, reminiscent of happy childhood memories.
It’s the quintessential isolation baked good: it strengthens the bond you have with your home. Imagine lazy weekend mornings scooping the still-warm goo in a bowl, steam rising to warm your face as you curl up on the couch. That is home to me. It is also easy, forgiving, and adaptable like your favorite sweatpants. And most importantly, involves bread. (By the looks of things, it seems we’ll all be drowning in a sea of bread pretty soon, if not already. At least, I’m glad I’m not alone in my inordinate consumption of bread.)
My point for telling you this long story about a bread pudding is this: don’t give up, stand up for your values, don’t let doubts about your inadequacies or fear of failure stand in the way. Also, be creative. Explore. Try new things. Who knows maybe you’ll end up with a fucking delicious recipe. Also bread pudding rules, so you should try it.
By now, you’re probably thinking: stop talking (or writing?) and tell me how to make it. Well, this is how.
You first begin by making a standard - or shall I say my standard - bread pudding base: a mixture of stale bread soaked in milk (any kind, I usually use almond or oat) for a minimum of four hours or preferably overnight. Add way more liquid than you think; you want the bread to be swimming in a pool of liquid, because if you've used very dry bread it will soak all that shit up. (Also, this is not the time to be using any really expensive alt-milk.)
Once the bread is mushy and properly soaked, use a fork to break it up into small pieces. It'll look very unappealing like something you may have regurgitated from your last meal, but that's good. Keep going.
Then, add eggs (one if you like a stiffer bread pudding, two if you want it very soft almost soufflé like), vanilla extract (around 2 teaspoons), a generous sprinkle sea salt (it's more like a handful in my case but that's cause I like my foods to taste well salted so do as you please), and any other accoutrements. For me, that typically includes nut butter and/or chopped nuts (my favorites are almond butter, peanut butter or tahini and cashews or walnuts) chopped dark chocolate, and dried fruit (my absolute favorite and the best dried fruit to use IMO are prunes aka dried plums because they’re usually plump and gooey and pair amazingly well with bread, but other options include dried figs, dried apricots, and of course raisins) or leftover pieces of fresh fruit (I’ve tried chopped apple, pear, and berries and all worked well!).
Mix everything together until everything is evenly dispersed.
Finally, you'll add the odd ball - that weird ingredient you don't know what else to do with. In this case, it's those rice crispy treats. At this point, you could also add some sweetener like sugar, maple syrup or honey, but I opted not to because the rice crispies were already sweetened. If you're adding something that is already prepared, like cookies or rice crispy treats, you need to take that into account. Here, the crispies were already bound by nut butter, honey, vanilla and salt. So I'm not gonna add more of those in the pudding (except maybe vanilla). Understand the logic? Great. Now we move on.
One tip I recommend is to use a fork to mix everything together, because you'll be able to more easily break up the big bread pieces. It doesn’t need to be perfect since everything will be congealed back together, but this ensures maximal flavor seepage. The more nooks and crannies, the more opportunity for all those wonderful ingredients you put in to get distributed evenly which means more flavor in each bite.
Once everything is incorporated, simply pour the mixture in a greased pan (like a casserole dish, I think it's by 9 x 13 inches but don't take my word on that), sprinkle a topping (that could be crushed cereal like cornflakes, granola, cacao nibs or even breadcrumbs) and put it in the oven.
Another great thing about bread pudding is it’s not picky about oven temperatures. You could do the low-and-slow treatment, or high-and-fast (or regular :). It'll come out differently depending on what you do, but that's part of the beauty. It’s perfect for ovens - like ours - that lie about how hot they actually are. You simply want to adjust the time according to what temperature it’s at. If it’s at 350, I would bake for around 30 min. If you’re at a lower temperature like 250-275, I would go for 40-45 min. In any case, just look for a golden crust and a set center to know if it’s done. (To verify this, poke a knife or toothpick in the center. If it comes out wet, bake a little longer. If it has moist crumbs then pull it out). As a general rule, I always prefer to underbake, because the pudding will continue to cook as it sits to cool in a still-hot pan. So better take it out of the oven too soon.
Now, once it’s out, unfortunately, you must wait. This is really the worst part. I am someone who hates waiting for things to cool. In fact, I never do. (I am the one who tears off the crust of bread as soon as it comes out, transforming an otherwise beautiful domed loaf into something that looks like it's been attacked). But in this case, it’s necessary. You want the pudding to set, and that happens when it cools down. I know, this is really hard for me too. Good news is, it doesn’t need to be completely cool. Eating it warm is best, topped with extra fruit and chocolate if you wish. I also love eating it cold the next day!
And voilà! That's how you make bread pudding. Or at least, this is the way I make it. If you're reading this, and you've read through this whole post, thank you. I appreciate you :) I'd love to know what foods you turn to for comfort and how you make them your own! Please share by responding to this email.
I'll leave you with a few notes to keep in mind when making bread pudding. Because it is so adaptable and I don’t follow a recipe, it is hard to pin down exact measurements to follow. There are, however, a few concepts you want to align with that will ensure a stellar bread pudding:
Think of balance: something chewy, something crunchy, something bitter, something sweet, and something savory-esque (like a pinch of salt, grassy olive oil, or perhaps a spice that may be more usually used in savory preparations).
Don’t add too many mix-ins: sometimes less is more, you want to make sure the bulk of the pudding is bread, so you maximize the amount of softness.
You need eggs (or at least an egg equivalent); don’t try to work around this. Trust me, I have tried to make vegan versions, but it just isn’t the same. The egg provides structure, and well, that eponymous “eggy” texture. And some protein!
Chocolate. Do I need to say more? It's the golden nugget. I always seek the chopped bits out when I cut into the end result.
Don’t forget a crunchy topping! I usually go simple with granola or crushed up cereal but you could go the extra mile and add streusel. If you do, please report back and let me know how it goes. Also breadcrumbs could be interesting.
I hope you enjoy!
Footnotes
*ok maybe chocolate can do that too
**give me anything chewy, stick-to-the-roof-of-your mouth sticky, starchy, or pastey (also known as all the textures people hate, I’ll be happy :)
***Is it krispy? Crispy? Krispie? Or crispies?? Does anyone know?? I would love some wisdom here; this has really conflicted me.
**** Why do we call these things "puddings"? As far as I know they don't share any similarities. Rice pudding is starchy almost overcooked rice with a gloppy texture (which sounds unappealing to most people except me) and bread pudding is, well, soft custardy bread.
Disclaimer: This piece is not really a formal piece of writing. Call it an experiment or a rant, it's just me having fun writing about bread pudding. Also, I started writing this months ago, while I was still social distancing at home in Chicago, therefore some of what I wrote may not be relevant anymore.