Bread Pudding or as we call it in Germany... Arme Ritter

Mama said there'll be days like this, there'll be days like this my Mama said... And as usual Mama was right....

Days like this are days when you need soul or comfort food. Food that makes you instantly feel better because it takes you back to childhood or another place of time when you were very happy. Bread Pudding or Arme Ritter as we call it (in English it means Poor Knights) is such a soul food for me. My Mother or Grandma would make it when one of us was unwell or they wanted to give us a special treat. Til today Bread Pudding gives me this feeling of comfort of being cuddled up in bed and being pampered by Mama. The ultimate combination is to have it with hot cocoa.

The original recipe is with apples and raisins. But I often use other fruits like pears, bananas, dry fruits, cherries and sometimes even strawberries. What ever is available in the fruit basket.

However pineapple, papaya and kiwi should not be used as they react with the milk used and give the pudding a bitter taste.

To give it a special grown-up twist I soak the raisins or dry fruits up front in rum or brandy. Well, to be honest, there is always a jar of rum-raisins in my storage room... just for emergencies.

Before I start cooking a take an oven proof dish, about 22x22cm in size and grease it generously with butter. You can bake the bread pudding also in individual dishes. For this recipe you will need about 6 individual oven proof dishes.

For the pudding I cut 250g bread, best a few days old and dry, into thin slices. Thin means about 0,5cm thick. I also cut 200-250g apples into slices of 2mm thickness.

In a bowl I mix 3eggs, about 180g, with 300-350ml milk, 1 tablespoon of sugar and ½-1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon until I have a smooth mixture. The amount of cinnamon you use depends purely on your personal taste.

To put it all together I layer the bread and fruit in alternate layers into the baking dish starting and ending with a layer of bread. Over each layer of bread I sprinkle about 1 ½ tablespoon of raisins (for this recipe you will need about 5 tablespoons of raisins). Carefully I pour the egg mixture over it. To make sure the bread is evenly soaked with the egg mixture I poke a few times with a knife or fork into the layers. This helps to release any air stuck between the layers. In case it is not enough liquid I simply pour a bit more milk over it.

For that extra yummy crust I cut 1 ½ tablespoons butter into small pieces and sprinkle it on top of the pudding. The whole thing goes into a pre-heated oven at 180-200°C for about 30-40 minutes. To check if the pudding is done poke a toothpick or knitting needle into the centre of it. If it comes out clean the pudding is done. If not bake it a bit longer.

I serve it warm with fresh whipped cream or vanilla sauce.

Enjoy and have fun in the kitchen!

Love

Carola