When it comes to desserts that are the ultimate comfort foods, it’s hard to beat bread pudding. The warmth of flavors, the sweet, soft, milk-soaked bread, it all combines to make a dish worthy of Grandma’s kitchen table. But just because bread pudding is good doesn’t mean it can’t be better or more exciting. We spoke to two incredible chefs and they both agreed — booze belongs in bread pudding, and that goes double for bourbon.
The first expert guest Food Republic sat down with is the legendary Dominique Ansel, fresh off debuting a unique new limited-time dessert collaboration with Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto at Dominique Ansel Bakery that features vanilla gelato, espresso fudge, shortbread, and snickerdoodle cookies. Ansel weighed in on the question of when to add bourbon during the cooking process.
“If you are adding alcohol to a soak for bread pudding … it’s best to add it into the custard or batter that you soak with,” he said. The soak can vary in length, generally somewhere between eight hours and overnight, but it’s the crucial, and yes, long, step you can’t skip for good bread pudding. This will allow the bread to absorb all the flavor and moisture, yielding the most delicate, delectable dessert imaginable. That said, those looking to cut a corner can swap custard for melted ice cream and simply add the bourbon to the sugary soup, which requires less soaking time.
Choosing and using the right bourbon
We also spoke to Blair Lonergan, Southern recipe developer, food blogger, and founder of The Seasoned Mom, who expanded on why bourbon is so particularly good for bread pudding, and how best to use it. What makes it such a natural pairing, according to Lonergan, is how the flavor notes of the booze complement the warm, vaguely autumnal spices of the bread pudding.
“Bourbon provides a combination of caramel, vanilla, and oak notes, enhancing the sweetness and warmth of the dish,” she says. “The alcohol in the bourbon also helps balance the richness by cutting through the dense, buttery texture of the custard-based pudding.” This makes sense, as it’s the same reason that bourbon is so perfect for other desserts reminiscent of fall, such as maple-bourbon sweet potato pie.
When it comes to finding the perfect bourbon for your baking, Lonergan says that brand doesn’t matter much and that it’s okay to not break the bank, though she cautions that “… the bourbon will definitely impact the flavor of the sauce (so you don’t want the cheapest option on the market).” What’s more important, in her opinion, is the flavor profile of the whiskey. “I would look for a bourbon that has a nice balance of sweet and spicy. I typically reach for Maker’s Mark, which has a smooth, sweet flavor, or Woodford Reserve, which is a nice balance of smooth, rich flavor and spice,” she says.
