Challah Bread Pudding

This recipe is the result of a challenge issued to me to create a dish based on the ingredients provided in this week's KiwiKids food box. In case you are unfamiliar with KiwiKids, since pandemic started the KiwiKids organization has been providing kosher food boxes for families with school age children in five states across the country. Sometimes the items have obvious uses like hot dogs or chicken nuggets, but sometimes the box contains more of a bunch of ingredients leaving the meal planning to our imagination. Thus, beginning last week with the broccoli cheddar quiche, I have decided to see what delights can be made using KiwiKids ingredients. This week it is challah bread pudding or bread and butter pudding.

Where did this recipe come from?

The origin of the bread pudding recipe also known as bread and butter pudding dates back to 11th century England as a way to use up stale bread and it is still an excellent use for using up leftover challah, or other bread, today. Unlike its predecessors, no stale bread was used in this recipe.

What Kind Of Bread To Use

Normally for this recipe I would suggest using leftover Miracle Challah but I chose to use the mezonot hamburger buns provided which are made with apple juice and are sweet like challah. I also used the fresh apples and frozen peaches plus some raisins from a prior box. I used the yogurt provided as a topping which turned out to be a perfect pairing. Normally I like to eat bread pudding as a breakfast or brunch food. Some other breakfast/brunch recipes you might enjoy are kosher bacon and eggs, sour cream coffee cake, or old fashioned sour cream donuts.

This kosher bread pudding recipe uses bread cut up into cubes and soaked in a bath of eggs, milk, and vanilla until deconstituded back into a mush. I always use non-dairy milk, such as almond milk, because we like to keep things pareve as much as possible. You never know when you'll need a bit of something sweet after eating a meat meal.

Ingredients needed to make this recipe from scratch

• Bread: Soak the bread in an egg and milk custard mixture to soften the bread. (My mom likes to butter the bread and then smear on a layer of jam! In this recipe I completely skip buttering the bread as I find it unnecessary on sweet, soft, and fluffy challah bread.).
• Fruit: In a separate bowl mix together roughly chopped apples, the semi-thawed peaches, raisins, and chopped pecans with sugar, lemon zest, and cinnamon. I have also made this recipe with blueberries or raspberries and they add a delicious taste. (If you don't like nuts or raisins you can leave them out. I like the different textures the chewy raisin and crunchy nut provide but you can make yours any way you like).
• Lemon: If you don't have any fresh lemon you can use a teaspoon of bottled lemon juice or try using some orange zest/juice or of course, leave the citrus out completely if it's not your thing. For tips on zesting click here.
• Preparation for baking: Once the bread is soaked and the fruit are all mixed up you combine the two and spread in a baking dish. Then you get to sprinkle some brown sugar and a drizzle of oil on top which will create a nice sweet top to this challah bread pudding recipe.
• Pan size: I used to have a wonderful large square baking dish, a wedding gift, that was my dedicated bread pudding dish but it recently fell and broke (sadness) so I am currently in between ideal bread pudding dishes but any 9"x13" pan would work.

Sauce

Challah bread pudding stays moist because of the high liquid content in the recipe. That does not mean that a sauce should be left out. What would bread pudding be without a sauce or topping? Just warm it up and try some of these delicious sauce ideas:

• Yogurt
• Custard
• Ice Cream
• Brandy sauce
• Chocolate syrup
• Maple syrup