How much do I love these? Let me count the ways…

I know I often start out a blog post saying that whatever I made turned out really good or better than what I was expecting, but for these bread pudding muffins, it’s TRUE! 😀

I think it’s because I made sure to do the following:

1. Make sure the bread is stale and somewhat dry; not crouton dry, but not bouncy and soft so it can soak up the custard batter.
2. Make sure to whisk the eggs in well with the other ingredients when adding them in, which prevents areas that are just too concentrated with egg in flavor and taste like an omelet nestled in your bread pudding.
3. The addition of all-purpose flour and a little baking powder helps make it a less dense and also to make it seem less eggy.
4. The addition of some sort of coarse sugar sprinkled on the tops of each muffin before baking helps give it some sweetness and a crisp, slightly crunchy outer shell.

I used the leftover Finnish Cardamom bread that I made a few days ago, so that could be another reason why I thought they turned out great! (Cardamom is my favorite thing in the whole world, in case you didn’t know.) Seriously, though, these are not too dense, have a very soft and light interior, but are somewhat craggy and crusty on the outside. Plus the standard muffin size is just the right amount of bread pudding per person/per serving. I usually fear that bread pudding will be dense and gloopy, and these are not. Plus, they freeze and reheat well. Enjoy!

bread pudding muffins (makes 12 standard muffins) (recipe from HERE)

ingredients

7 cups bread cubes, stale (Brioche, Croissant, French baguette, etc., almost any type of bread would work just so long as it is slightly dry and stale)

1 cup whole milk

1 cup heavy whipping cream

4 ounces unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup granulated sugar (or less, depending on sweetness of bread used)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

splash of dark rum or brandy (I used about 2 Tablespoons of dark rum)

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup diced or slivered peeled apples, optional

1/4 to 1/2 cup dark or golden raisins, optional

Turbinado or demerara sugar, optional

confectioners sugar, optional, for dusting

method

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 12-count standard muffin or cupcake mold tin or line with paper liners. Set aside.

In a small saucepan over low heat, add the milk, cream, butter, sugar, extracts, and brandy or rum, if using. Stir until butter has melted and turn off heat. If needed, allow mixture to cool to room temperature or just slightly warm before adding eggs.

Add eggs to the milk/cream mixture and whisk well to combine.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon and stir with a whisk several times in a large bowl.

Pour the milk and egg mixture from the saucepan into the bowl with the flour mixture and whisk until all the dry ingredients are mixed in, scraping the bottom and sides to ensure there are no dry pockets of the flour mixture.

When thoroughly combined, add the bread cubes and stir or fold gently to ensure all the bread cubes soak up the liquids. Allow bread cubes to absorb liquid for 10 minutes or so while you get the rest of the ingredients ready for use–peel, core, and slice or dice the apples, mainly.

When ready to bake, using a clean or gloved hand, grab a few to several of the bread cubes from the batter and place an equal amount on each muffin mold to ensure that they are all the same amount. Then use a spoon or small measuring cup or ladle to add batter to each muffin mold, surrounding the cubes until each muffin mold is almost filled to the top.

Tuck in or arrange the apple slivers and raisins randomly for each muffin. Sprinkle the tops with Turbinado or other coarse sugar topping, if using.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes until muffin tops are browned on edges and tall. Remove from heat and let muffins sit in pan for about 10 minutes, then use a small, sharp knife to loosen them from the muffin molds to remove.

After muffins have cooled somewhat, you can serve it plain or with a light dusting of confectioners sugar. You can also serve it with maple syrup and/or whipped cream. Yum!