This week was filled with challenges, both in the world of cooking and in my life. It started with throwing my back out. Which seems to be getting more common as I get closer to my 30’s. I also felt stumped about what recipe to make, which happens once in a while. My mom has been sick with a bad cold and my recipe development went off the rails. However, I was determined to pick myself up and come up with something beautiful. So, I decided to turn scrapped bread for French toast into espresso bread pudding with a simple coffee custard.

Espresso + Back Injuries

I woke up early on Monday and enjoyed some gingerbread coffee with my favorite cinnamon scones. Which I’m so fond of that they’re starting to become a problem. I was in a good mood and working on some potential painting collaborations. Taking it easy. I’ve been slacking off when it comes to moving my body lately. Deep into the natural hibernation-mode of winter in Maine. But I decided to lift some weights and do some cardio for my brain. I’ve learned that exercise is one of my best forms of therapy and always helps me sleep better. But my ADHD makes it hard to motivate myself to get to the gym.

So, I triumphantly hoisted some heavy metal into the air with ambitions of listening to a whole podcast during my workout. Using most of my major muscle groups to wake them up a bit. Then I would take a quick walk, or run, to keep my blood pumping. But halfway through squats I felt a tweak in my lower back, which caused me to abandon ship immediately. I walked around for a bit with my hands grasping at my lower back, trying to shake off the deep, unsettling soreness. But over the next few days I dealt with a fair deal of pain.

Homemade Bread Recipe

I decided to lay low and let myself heal after a couple restless, painful nights of sleep. So, I spent time thinking of recipe ideas. Planning complex breads and cakes and cookies, but nothing felt right. I wanted to do something brown or amber colored, just because it would look great next to my last two recipes. A bright yellow lemon pasta and a deep, dark chocolate cake. Both of which I felt extremely proud of. My standards are rising with my presentation and painting and it seems like my perfectionism isn’t letting me be happy with most ideas. Nothing is good enough.

So, I’ve been tossing and turning and feeling frustrated that I just can’t come up with something adequate. I settled on a semi-simple recipe, inspired by a Portuguese sweet I tried in Porto towards the end of my trip. Rabanadas, or Portuguese French toast. They’re made by dipping stale bread pieces in milk and then egg and frying it in a shallow pool of oil. You toss them in cinnamon sugar after and dip them in honey. Of course, after being hard on myself all week, I was unsatisfied with just picking up a baguette or boule from a store. Of course I had to make homemade bread. I woke up on Wednesday and looked outside to see a violent mix of snow and rain which solidified my decision to stay home.

A Beautiful Bread Dough

I made my way into the kitchen and took an inventory of flour. Eggs. Sugar. I had plenty of each. So, I decided to create a new, slightly enriched version of my no-knead bread dough that I used for my BLT recipe last summer. It’s almost identical to my pizza dough, too, but baked as a loaf. I decided after watching Claire Saffitz’s new video (hoagie rolls) that I would enrich my dough with an egg and a little milk in place of the last 1/3 cup water in my dough recipe. After measuring everything out in a bowl and kneading for a minute or two, I dumped the dough onto the counter and felt a great, pillowy-yet-firm consistency. After 10 or 15 minutes it was a gorgeous, springy and totally smooth yellow ball. One of the most perfect bread doughs I’ve ever made.

I proudly placed it, covered, in a greased bowl, and put it in the fridge to ferment and develop flavor overnight. My back was starting to feel a little better, and by the time I drifted off to sleep I felt so giddy thinking about how my bread dough would come out. A proud parent imagining the life of a perfect child. I woke up bright and early and indulged in more coffee and a protein bar. I got right to work and removed my dough from the bowl, punching down with my fist to remove the cloud of air it formed overnight.

Changing Plans

But my ADHD was on fire. I struggle with impulsivity sometimes, and don’t think things through. Instead of just sitting down and writing down my ideas, I decided to split my dough immediately in two and make baguette shapes. One was filled with cinnamon sugar (which later leaked out during baking) and the other was plain. I rolled my logs into rustic baguette shapes but quickly realized my dough wasn’t stiff or strong enough to rise into a round, beautiful loaf during proofing. I placed a damp towel on top and left them in the warm oven for over an hour while I watched the new episode of Yellowjackets.

They were super over-proofed and the towel stuck. If you touched them daintily they would just burst like a balloon. I decided to bake them anyway and give them a chance. They’d still taste good. And maybe by some miracle the baking gods would pity me and spit out some kind of bakery-quality bread loaves for me. They were somewhere in the middle. Not awful or inedible. In fact, they came out pretty tasty. Especially the spots of the cinnamon sugar loaf with caramelized sugar syrup. But I spent the next hour deep cleaning the oven after the caramel spilled and burned, beating myself up for not thinking things through. I was exhausted.

Espresso Bread Pudding

I sliced my loaves when they cooled. I wanted to take a nap, not spend the next two hours dipping bread and frying and tossing them in cinnamon sugar. The dishes were stacked up in the sink. I had only eaten a few bites of food. So, in a moment of mental fortitude, I decided to rest instead of pushing forward. I could let the sunlight leave for the day and finish my recipe tomorrow. I could take time to think instead of rushing. It would all be okay. I sat down and finished a podcast and drank plenty of water. Then, with a clear mind, I decided to research espresso bread pudding recipes.

I’ve only made bread pudding once, back in 2019. I know the exact year because it was a great one, filled with a family trip to Florida, a fulfilling summer job, and an exciting house-sitting adventure with my friends over the holidays. We celebrated the advent of 2020 with good food, tarot readings, and movies. That week a friend who worked at the best restaurant within 30 miles gifted me a brown bag of sourdough scraps. It was deep with that sour, fermented flavor, but overly crunchy and stale. In our large, gourmet temporary kitchen, I decided to whip up a dessert with the bread scraps, bananas, sugar, and some milk and eggs.

Coffee Custard + Bread Scraps

I made an improvised bread pudding. I knew the sour, salty bread would pair perfectly with caramel and custard. So I cooked some banana slices in sugar until it turned into a dark caramel and then poured in some cream off the heat. I whisked in a couple eggs, guessing and using my instincts, and soaking it in my dry bread. I let it sit in the fridge for a bit and baked it in our confusing, unusually hot oven after dinner. It was a big hit, and I fell in love with bread pudding a little bit that night. We picked at it in the fridge every night. My mom hates bread pudding, so I’d never tried it at home, and never thought to make it until then.

I thought back to that delicious dessert this week and smiled thinking of my friends and our dinners. While staring at my bread slices I realized that instead of pushing myself I could simply whip up a quick custard and make espresso bread pudding. I decided to leave some pieces whole for presentation (mostly to make painting easier so I didn’t have a million little jagged shapes) and felt better once I had a deeply coffee-ish custard. I squished my dry bread into the mixture and it soaked it up like little sponges.

Baking Bread Pudding

I finished the day by greasing a baking pan and pressing my espresso bread pudding into it, finishing with some prettier pieces on top. I took a good whiff of the coffee-scent, which seems to be my favorite flavor of the moment. And I placed it in the fridge to soak up overnight. I would bake it the next day, for a slightly indulgent breakfast. I wiped the oven out again after running it through a 4-hour cleaning cycle and collapsed into the sofa for a relaxing night of TV. Paired with a quick grilled cheese for dinner.

On Saturday I woke up late and felt so excited to throw my espresso bread pudding into the oven. I whipped up some cream to go with the hot, crispy and coffee-infused bread and custard and patiently waited as the scent crept out of the oven. I checked on it once and then took it out after 35 minutes. It had crispy, deeply caramelized edges, permeated with a beautiful espresso brown color. The scent reminded me of fresh bread and brewing coffee, two of my favorite things. I couldn’t wait to take a bite and cut a little corner piece with my spoon. I plopped myself in front of the TV and devoured espresso bread pudding.

A Warm, Coffee-Filled Breakfast

It was perfectly set. Which reminded me of my thanksgiving stuffing. Yet, this homemade bread had jagged sugary edges that crisp and crunch, pressed against the edge of the buttery metal pan. The bread has a beautiful caramelized base with an overtone of deep coffee custard flavor. Soaked into each bite. It’s like you dunked really good bread into melted coffee ice cream and baked it until crispy. The whipped cream mixture paired perfectly and complemented the rich, deeply intense coffee and bread flavor with a light cloud of vanilla and sugar. I really want to add mascarpone next time to make a tiramisu-like bread pudding.

I really love how this recipe turned out. And as I’m enjoying the last few weeks of winter, I’m glad I got to curl up with a comforting bowl of piping hot, custardy, sweet bread. Rich with coffee. The ice and snow are melting and dripping off the house as I write this, with spring approaching. This recipe and week was a lesson in giving myself a break. Not being too self-critical, or pushing myself too hard. Sometimes the best things are simple and easy.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy my recipes and paintings, be sure to check out Etsy for 100’s of my art prints and recipe cards. Use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off.

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Espresso Bread Pudding

Homemade bread pieces soaked in coffee custard and baked until crisp

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American, French

Keyword bread pudding, coffee bun

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 tsp active dry yeast
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup white sugar + 3 tbsp
• 1 cup cold coffee or water
• 2 tbsp whole milk
• 6 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup light cream
• 1/3 cup espresso powder
• 2 tbsp softened butter
• 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese

Instructions

• In a large bowl, mix together bread flour, yeast, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tablespoon of sugar.
• In a separate bowl or cup, whisk together the water or coffee, whole milk, and 1 egg, and pour into the flour mixture.
• Knead until a shaggy dough forms, about 2-3 minutes. Then, dump your dough onto a clean work surface and knead for 10-15 minutes until elastic and smooth.
• Transfer dough to a clean bowl that’s lightly greased with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let proof on the counter for 1 hour. Then, transfer to fridge overnight.
• The next day, preheat oven to 450°F. Remove dough and knock the air out of it by gently pressing down. Place a pizza stone or baking sheet in your oven.
• Form your dough into two equal baguette shapes, about 14 inches in length, on two pieces of parchment paper and cover with a damp towel, letting rest for 15-20 minutes in a warm place before baking.
• When ready to bake, slide your bread onto the preheated pizza stone and throw a few ice cubes into the bottom of the oven for steam.
• Cook for 12-15 minutes, until deeply golden brown. Let cool slightly and slice into crostini-shapes.
• Transfer bread slices to a baking sheet and leave in a warm oven for 1-2 hours until stale. Alternatively, you can bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes or leave bread uncovered overnight.
• To make custard, whip 5 eggs and 1 egg yolk with 1/3 cup white sugar, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
• In a large microwave-safe pyrex or bowl, combine 1 cup heavy cream and 1 cup light cream and heat for 2 minutes, or until steamy. Add your espresso powder and stir. Cool to room temperature.
• Grease a 9 x 9 square baking dish with butter. Pour your cream mixture into your whipped eggs and sugar and bring together into a custard.
• Add your stale bread pieces and allow to soak for at least 30 minutes. Place your bread pieces into the buttered baking dish and pour any remaining custard on top.
• Cover and rest for at least 1-2 hours in the fridge, or overnight.
• When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375°F and cook for 35 minutes or until golden brown.
• Whip 1/2 cup heavy cream with 2 tbsp white sugar (and add vanilla or any flavoring you like). Add mascarpone (optional) for a more tiramisu-like taste.
• Serve warm bread pudding with a dollop of whipped cream.

Notes

• If you don’t have a bakings stone, you can use an upside down baking sheet covered in aluminum foil. 
• Feel free to add Demerara sugar on top of your bread pudding before baking for extra sweetness and crunch. 
• Feel free to use your favorite store-bought bread. I recommend sourdough, but anything will work! If you do, start the recipe at step 9.