Thanks to Ed Vielmetti for the shout out for Paczki Day. I'm feeling a little bad that I didn't offer up my usual annual Paczki write-up, so instead this year I am offering up my Paczki Bread Pudding recipe.
I did snag some of my own from Copernicus European Market on S. Main, and then found myself with an excess of leftovers. Having declared February to be the Pudding Month, I knew what I had to with them. I read several different bread pudding recipes and then put together my own. I'm pretty pleased with it, and I think this would work well with a variety of different pastries (especially dense ones).
I started with these...
And turned three and a half of my stale paczki (plus some stale Zingerman's challah with chocolate) into this...
Added milk, cream, eggs, and additional flavorings and got this...!
Kitchen Chick's Paczki Bread Pudding
some amounts are approximate
pazcki/challah/other pastries
1/2 C sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 tsp salt
2 C whole milk (adjust for bread amount if necessary)
1 C cream
1.5 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
2 - 3 Tbs bourbon or scotch (2 Tbs will create a very subtle flavor)
1.5 Tbs melted butter and optional demerara sugar and sea salt for topping
Ideally these should be "real" paczki with that dense egg dough. I used 3 1/2 paczki (12 oz) and 5 oz of challah with chocolate, but I didn't measure the volume. Perhaps 10 cups? Basically, I used enough paczki and challah to nicely fill a deep 9x9 pan. I sliced my paczki into four slices and then cross cut that once to create fairly large pieces (see photo).
Set aside a small handful of bread pieces. I like to use smaller, crustier ones. They will go on top of the pudding at the end and will help create a nice top.
Whisk eggs and sugar and salt. Add in milk, cream, vanilla, and scotch and whisk to blend. Pour this over the remaining bread. Press and turn the bread gently so it all gets coated and let soak for 20 minutes.
Heat oven to 350 F.
Butter a 9x9 baking pan. Pour soaked bread into the pan. Top with the reserved bread pieces. Press them in a bit to make sure they are part of the pudding. Drizzle/brush the melted butter over the top. Sprinkle with some demerara sugar (1 to 2 Tbs). I also like to add a tiny sprinkle of sea salt over the top (1/4 tsp?).
Bake 45 minutes (plus or minus a bit) until the custard is set but still jiggles in the center.
Variants:
- Try adding some dried cherries at the soaking stage.
- If you don't have challah with chocolate, you can add some chopped dark chocolate stirred at the soaking stage.
Good bread pudding is one of my favorite things, and this one sounds super good!
Posted by: Julie Saul | February 20, 2010 at 09:57 AM
Wow - what a great idea for packzi leftovers!
Posted by: MaryMcG | February 20, 2010 at 11:41 AM
That looks yummy, will have to try that recipe.
Posted by: Jenny | February 20, 2010 at 03:03 PM
Instant classic! I can imagine this working out well for cinnamon rolls too - e.g. if you went to the Hilltop in L'Anse and could only eat half of one of their dinner-plate sized sweet rolls.
Posted by: Ed Vielmetti | February 20, 2010 at 10:16 PM
Amazing. Thank you!
Posted by: Eugenia | February 22, 2010 at 06:18 PM
That looks sinfully delicious! *drool*
Posted by: Kate Boyd, Michigan | March 01, 2010 at 10:05 AM
I made a second batch using the three remaining packzi. I adjustd the liquid a bit, and I added in a few preserved sour cherries that I canned over the summer. Divine!
I forgot to leave some small bits for pressing itno the top, but the top cooked up very nicely all the same.
Posted by: Kitchen Chick | March 08, 2010 at 07:40 PM
When I had a bake shop we made about 1500 of these each year. I never though to use them in bread pudding. What a great idea!
Posted by: Ed Schenk | March 11, 2010 at 04:35 PM
"Puczki Leftovers?
I have never heard of such a thing. (smiles)
CB
Posted by: Brian | April 15, 2010 at 07:20 PM
I made this with some day-old Meijer donuts — don't hate me. It was a huge hit with the family.
Posted by: Steve Sarrica | June 09, 2010 at 09:16 PM
YUM! I've never tackled bread pudding. Think I'll give it a go. Your finished product looks so yummy!
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Posted by: Meghan M. | May 01, 2011 at 12:32 PM