Savory Bread Pudding with Bacon and Onion
By America's Test KitchenPublished on July 22, 2009
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
6 ounces bacon (about 6 slices), cut into ¼-inch pieces1 medium onion, halved and sliced thin½ teaspoon salt 1 French baguette, (18- to 20-inch), torn into 1-inch pieces (about 10 cups)1 tablespoon unsalted butter 8 large egg yolks 3 cups heavy cream 2 cups whole milk 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 cup)2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves 2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)1 teaspoon salt, plus ½ teaspoon for cooking onions¾ teaspoon Ground black pepper
Before You Begin
We prefer the flavor and texture of a high-quality French baguette here, but a conventional supermarket baguette will also work.
Instructions
- Cook bacon in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until well browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the fat in the skillet. Stir onion and salt into the fat left in the skillet, cover, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and releases its juices, about 10 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring often, until the onion begins to brown, about 6 minutes.
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Arrange the bread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until crisp and browned, about 12 minutes, turning the pieces over halfway through baking. Remove the bread from the oven and let cool.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with the butter.
- Whisk the yolks, cream, milk, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, the thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Add the toasted bread and toss until evenly coated. Let the mixture sit until the bread softens and begins to absorb the custard, about 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. (If the majority of the bread is still too hard after 30 minutes, let it soak for another 15 to 20 minutes.)
- Pour half of the bread mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with 1/4 cup more Parmesan and bacon and onion slices. Pour the remaining bread mixture into the dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake until the custard is just set, about 60 minutes, rotating the dish halfway through the baking time.
- Remove the bread pudding from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Yield
Serves 6 to 8Ingredients
6 ounces bacon (about 6 slices), cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 medium onion, halved and sliced thin
½ teaspoon salt
1 French baguette, (18- to 20-inch), torn into 1-inch pieces (about 10 cups)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
8 large egg yolks
3 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon salt, plus ½ teaspoon for cooking onions
¾ teaspoon Ground black pepper
Ingredients
6 ounces bacon (about 6 slices), cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 medium onion, halved and sliced thin
½ teaspoon salt
1 French baguette, (18- to 20-inch), torn into 1-inch pieces (about 10 cups)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
8 large egg yolks
3 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon salt, plus ½ teaspoon for cooking onions
¾ teaspoon Ground black pepper
Ingredients
6 ounces bacon (about 6 slices), cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 medium onion, halved and sliced thin
½ teaspoon salt
1 French baguette, (18- to 20-inch), torn into 1-inch pieces (about 10 cups)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
8 large egg yolks
3 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon salt, plus ½ teaspoon for cooking onions
¾ teaspoon Ground black pepper
Why This Recipe Works
After trying several types of bread for our savory bread pudding recipe, we settled on French baguettes for their strong crumb and neutral flavor. We thought the crust gave the bread pudding better texture, so we left it on. Instead of cubing our bread, we had better results tearing the baguette into ragged pieces. Toasting the torn pieces to a deep golden brown enriched their flavor and gave the bread a crispiness that helped prevent the finished dish from turning soggy. For the custard for our savory bread pudding recipe, we found that a mixture of 3 parts cream to 2 parts milk was rich but not over the top. To prevent curdling, we replaced the traditional whole eggs with just egg yolks, which stabilized the custard. It also yielded a more flavorful, richly colored custard.
Before You Begin
We prefer the flavor and texture of a high-quality French baguette here, but a conventional supermarket baguette will also work.
Instructions
- Cook bacon in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until well browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the fat in the skillet. Stir onion and salt into the fat left in the skillet, cover, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and releases its juices, about 10 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring often, until the onion begins to brown, about 6 minutes.
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Arrange the bread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until crisp and browned, about 12 minutes, turning the pieces over halfway through baking. Remove the bread from the oven and let cool.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with the butter.
- Whisk the yolks, cream, milk, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, the thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Add the toasted bread and toss until evenly coated. Let the mixture sit until the bread softens and begins to absorb the custard, about 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. (If the majority of the bread is still too hard after 30 minutes, let it soak for another 15 to 20 minutes.)
- Pour half of the bread mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with 1/4 cup more Parmesan and bacon and onion slices. Pour the remaining bread mixture into the dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake until the custard is just set, about 60 minutes, rotating the dish halfway through the baking time.
- Remove the bread pudding from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
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