If there’s a Latin market nearby you’re in luck. You’ll be able to find Piloncillos, the cone-shaped sugar that is universal to this dish. If not you can always use brown sugar in its place. And almost any bread works although bolillos are very close to small French bread loaves. You’ll want to make sure they’re stale or else you’ll end up with a different texture — very soft and uniform bread pudding which actually ain’t half that bad when you think about it. It’s all about preference. And feel free to experiment with the spices as you may want more cinnamon, less raisins, a bit more cheese, even a clove or two, whatever. The beauty of this recipe is that it’s exceptionally forgiving.
Ingredients:
4 bolillos or 1 loaf of french bread
3/4 cup raisins
4 sticks of cinnamon
3 star anise
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
4 piloncillos (use 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar if piloncillos aren’t available)
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups of cream or half and half
Method
In a saucepan add water, the piloncillos, cinnamon and star anise. Heat
until the liquid simmers and cover until the sugar has dissolved, about
10-15 minutes. Once the sugar has dissolved completely, strain the
syrup, discard the cinnamon and anise and let cool completely.
In a mixing bowl beat 4 eggs and add the cream. Slowly add the cooled sugar syrup, a little bit at a time, mixing well. Once fully mixed pour the egg & sugar mixture over torn pieces of bolillos in a large bowl, making sure that each piece of bread is covered with liquid. Depending on the staleness of your bread you’ll want to let it set for a few minutes to fully absorb the liquid.
Once absorbed, add the raisins and half of the cheddar cheese and toss to mix all ingredients. Again, if your bread isn’t stale be careful not to break the chunks up too much as you want pieces to comprise the pudding and not a bread mush. Add the mixture evenly to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese on top. Bake at 350˚F for 30-40 minutes or until the eggs have set and the top begins to brown. I check for doneness by touching the top; it should be a tiny bit crusty and not so spongey.
Let cool and then serve. It’s great with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, dulce de leche, more cheddar cheese, ice cream, whipped cream, nutmeg, whatever. But not all at the same time. Or maybe if you’re all indulgent like that. Don’t look at me.
-- Also published on MattBites.com