Thomas Keller's Leek Bread Pudding Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Serves a Crowd

by: Food52

October29,2015

4.5

11 Ratings

  • Serves 12 (as a side)

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Author Notes


Here’s how to do right by stuffing: Remove stock, replace with cream. Add plenty of cheese. We’ve been thanking Thomas Keller for this recipe for years. Join us? Adapted slightly from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home (Artisan, 2009). —Food52

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • 2 cups1/2-inch thick sliced leeks, white and light green parts only, cleaned and rinsed
  • 4 tablespoonsunsalted butter
  • 12 cups1-inch cubed crustless brioche or Pullman loaf
  • 1 tablespoonfinely chopped chives
  • 1 teaspoonfresh thyme leaves
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 cupswhole milk
  • 3 cupsheavy cream
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 cupshredded Comte or Emmenthaler cheese
Directions
  1. Place a medium sauté pan over medium heat, drain excess water from leeks, and add to pan. Season with salt, and sauté until leeks begin to soften, about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low. (They'll release liquid as they cook.) Stir in butter. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are very soft, about 30 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Heat oven to 350° F. While leeks are cooking, spread bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake until dry and pale gold, about 20 minutes, turning pan about halfway through. Transfer to a large bowl, leaving the oven on.
  3. Add leeks, chives, and thyme to the bowl of bread; toss well. In another large bowl, lightly whisk the eggs, then whisk in milk, cream, a generous pinch of salt, pepper to taste, and a pinch of nutmeg.
  4. Sprinkle 1/4 cup shredded cheese in bottom of a 9- by 13-inch baking pan. Spread 1/2 of bread mixture in pan, and sprinkle with another 1/4 cup cheese. Spread remaining bread mixture in pan, and sprinkle with another 1/4 cup cheese. Pour in enough milk mixture to cover bread, and gently press on bread so milk soaks in. Let rest 15 minutes.
  5. Add remaining milk mixture, letting some bread cubes protrude. Sprinkle with salt and remaining cheese. Bake until pudding is set and top is brown and bubbling, about 1 1/2 hours. Serve hot.

Tags:

  • Pudding
  • Bread
  • American
  • Chive
  • Leek
  • Milk/Cream
  • Nutmeg
  • Thyme
  • Cheese
  • Grains
  • Serves a Crowd
  • Fall

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Sara DePasquale

  • peeply

  • Tori Pintar

  • karin.anderson.52

  • Margie

Popular on Food52

25 Reviews

Sara D. November 26, 2021

I cut this down by 2/3 for an intimate gathering. I still used the same amount of herbs and leeks as if for a full batch & that seemed about right. This recipe was fine but I prefer my traditional stuffing recipe. Always fun to try something new though!

Angela December 26, 2020

Bland, too soft, and not enough cheese. Most of the reviews double the spices and leeks - they’re right.

peeply November 25, 2018

An absolute hit every time. I double the herbs and add nutmeg, ginger and allspice to the cream for more soaked in flavor. Also double the leeks and add sautéed portobello mushrooms and ground turkey or sausage. Addictive!

Tori P. November 23, 2018

This was so delicious and despite the heavy ingredients it was a fluffy bread pudding for Thanksgiving. I doubled the leeks and added some fresh cranberries to the leeks at the end of cooking. I doubled the chives and added some lemon zest. I used 1 cup swiss cheese and 1/2 cup beechers flagship. I think you could add more cheese but that sort of changes the richness of it. I liked that the cheese was more of a flavor enhancer as opposed to a dominant fIavor. I only had to bake it about 1 hr 15 min.

karin.anderson.52 April 2, 2018

I made this recipe, realizing right away that the amounts of leek, chives, and thyme could not be sufficient for the amount of bread - I doubled them. And tripled the cheese. Also, added a bit of leftover prosciutto. The result was very tasty, and I will make it again. But 1 1/2 hours baking time is way too long, fortunately I checked after 45 minutes, and the bread pudding was nicely browned, crisp and done.

susan February 17, 2018

I just added milk mixture and it doesn't come close to "covering bread." Bread in pan is ~3" high and milk only came up to about 1/2 that. Did anyone else find this? I'm tossing it to make sure all bread gets egg mix in it, but it's definitely not swimming like directions indicate it should.

Renée R. November 22, 2016

I just finished making this and it only took 42 minutes to bake. It was firm and nicely browned. I've now done some investigating and there are many sites that give the baking time as 1 1/2 hours, but there are others that give it 35 to 45 minutes. I can't imagine baking this for the longer length of time. The custard would surely break, right? It is gorgeous and absolutely delicious.

Suzanne B. November 21, 2016

Can this be made with cornbread? I have two gluten free guests - trying to decide what bread to use.

Tori P. November 23, 2018

I definitely think it could. I bet you'll get a denser product because cornflour often yields a denser bread but I bet it would still be delicious.

violetnp November 21, 2016

Can you omit the cheese and have it turn out well?

Randi U. November 11, 2016

have made this with good gluten free bread for the last two years and everyone loves it!

Betty G. September 4, 2016

My daughter made this for our Thanksgiving dinner last year. It was wonderful! I'd like to make it for a dinner party. Unfortunately, my husband has an allergy to anything onion related. I thought about using mushrooms instead but I'm afraid it will tur the dish grey. What could I use instead of leeks?

erin November 2, 2016

I think celery, cooked slowly in butter just like the leeks above, would work nicely here as an onion replacement. Or even fennel, if you're a fan. I'd include mushrooms, regardless - they'll be so good with the thyme and cream, and if you sauté them alongside the celery they shouldn't release much color into the final dish (even if they did the taste would be worth it).

Margie November 28, 2015

Totally wonderful addition to Thanksgiving dinner. Makes a LOT, so next time will do half..but other than that, no changes at all. Cheesy deliciousness!

Erika E. November 25, 2015

I plan to make early Thursday morning, for a dinner party on Friday. Wondering about undercooking it a bit and finishing/reheating. Thoughts?

hmgbrd7 November 23, 2015

2 questions--think a crusty bread would work here (i.e. a baguette or whole grain batard)? Would this freeze well? Thanks!

piccantedolce November 22, 2015

awesome! Thanks for this info. I'm thinking I'll test it out for the Thanksgiving dinner I'm throwing for my friends here in Toronto.

Heather P. November 7, 2015

This has been my vegetarian stuffing for three years now. It's so delicious (and even better the next day, in my opinion).

Rita C. November 20, 2015

Thanks for the tip, Heather. SO I'm assuming this can be made ahead and reheated on day of?

Heather P. November 21, 2015

Absolutely! I always make this on Wednesday and reheat it in the oven on Thursday while the turkey is resting/being carved.

Rita C. November 26, 2015

Thank you! Making this tonight :)

Lisa H. November 16, 2017

How long and at what temp for reheating?

Rita C. November 16, 2017

I don't exactly remember know, but guessing 350 for 30mins?

Rita C. November 16, 2017

know = now :)

Lisa H. November 16, 2017

Thank you!

Thomas Keller's Leek Bread Pudding Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

Why is bread pudding called bread pudding? ›

' If you're wondering why it is called a pudding, it's because this dish includes a cereal base (the bread) and has a soft and spongy consistency after baking.

Why is my bread pudding mushy? ›

There are two main reasons why bread pudding bakes up mushy. One is that is has not baked long enough for the custard to . The other reason is that the bread was too fresh and did not soak up much custard, so the pudding is more liquidy than it should be.

What is bread and butter pudding made of? ›

Bread and butter pudding is a traditional bread pudding in British cuisine. Slices of buttered bread scattered with raisins are layered in an oven dish, covered with an egg custard mixture seasoned with nutmeg, vanilla, or other spices, then baked.

Can you rebake bread pudding? ›

The key is to apply gentle heat in a way that restores the pudding's original allure without drying it out or altering its delicate balance of flavors. Reheating bread pudding in the oven has proven to be the most effective method to preserve its moistness.

How long will bread pudding keep in refrigerator? ›

How to Store Bread Pudding. Allow the bread pudding to cool completely after baking. Cover tightly or transfer to a shallow, airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Why is it called poor mans pudding? ›

During the Great Depression, pudding chômeur (or pouding chômeur) was supposedly created in Quebec by female factory workers. Called “poor man's pudding” or “pudding of the unemployed,” it was made with inexpensive ingredients or pantry items that people already had on hand.

How do I know when bread pudding is done? ›

Bake about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Another way to judge whether the pudding is fully baked, is to gently press down on the center of the pudding. If any custard comes up to the top, the pudding needs to be baked a little longer.

Why does my bread pudding taste eggy? ›

Bread pudding's magic is how the old, dried bread can be re-invigorated with a mixture of milk, eggs, and sugar that it soaks up like a sponge, but when the eggs aren't properly beaten you have a separation of the beaten yolk from the beaten whites which gives you the scrambled egg look and flavor.

Is bread pudding supposed to be wet in the middle? ›

A good bread pudding needs to be moist -- it is made from custard, after all -- but it should not be anywhere close to runny.

What are the 3 types of pudding? ›

Puddings made for dessert can be boiled and steamed puddings, baked puddings, bread puddings, batter puddings, milk puddings or even jellies. In some Commonwealth countries these puddings are known as custards (or curds) if they are egg-thickened, as blancmange if starch-thickened, and as jelly if gelatin-based.

Does bread pudding go bad? ›

Leftover bread pudding stays good in the fridge for about 3-4 days, but will start loosing moistness after 1-2 days.

Are you supposed to eat bread pudding hot or cold? ›

Bread pudding can be served warm, room temperature, cold. If you'd rather have it warm or room temperature, skip the 6 hour refrigeration time. The orange custard sauce can also be served warm over warm bread pudding.

Can bread pudding be refrigerated overnight before baking? ›

Refrigerate up to 24 hours. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

What makes a pudding a pudding? ›

In the United States, puddings are nearly always sweet desserts of milk or fruit juice variously flavoured and thickened with cornstarch, arrowroot, flour, tapioca, rice, bread, or eggs. The rarer savoury puddings are thickened vegetable purées, soufflé-like dishes, or, like corn pudding, custards.

Why is pudding not pudding in England? ›

The simple explanation is that Brits use the word 'pudding' to refer to dessert. If they are going to serve you an actual pudding they will specify the type of pudding – for example, sticky toffee pudding or rice pudding.

Is bread pudding made of bread? ›

Bread pudding is a dessert made of stale bread and custard. While wet bread (stale bread, no less) may not sound appetizing to those who've never tried it, the indulgent treat is a time-tested classic for a reason: Bread pudding is simple to make, impressive to serve, and absolutely exquisite.

Do you eat bread pudding with a spoon or fork? ›

The dish is served with a fork AND a spoon so you can get every last bit of that heavenly sauce. Advice: Ditch the fork – it's completely superfluous – and dig in with the spoon!

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