Lá Fhéile Pádraig: Gaelic for Saint Patrick's Day or St. Paddy's. I like to use day-old French bread in my bread pudding recipe, or Cinnamon-raisin bread, sweet rolls, and even leftover Irish Soda Bread can also be used. Serve with a vanilla ice cream spiked with a wee bit of Irish. Slàinte
Irish Bread Pudding
Makes 10-12 servings
chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle
2 Granny Smith or baking apples, peel, cored, and chopped
3-4 cups cubed dry French Bread, Irish Soda, Brown Bread, or Cinnamon Raisin Bread
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup raisins, plumped in 1 cup hot water for 5 minutes
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
4 cups milk
8 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons vanilla
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup Irish Whisky
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pre-grease an 8 x 8-inch or 10-inch round cake pan.
Combine the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cocoa powder in a medium bowl and beat with a whisk until well blended. Add whiskey and slowly pour over the bread mixture. Add optional chopped chocolate. Poke the bread, completely covered with the milk mixture, and let sit for 10-15 minutes.
Place a pan larger than the cake pan or skillet in preheated oven and place the pan holding the bead pudding inside. Immediately fill the outer pan with enough hot water to come up one inch on the sides of the bread-pudding pan.
Bake at 375 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the water bath, reduce the temperature to 325 degrees, and bake for 25 additional minutes. Remove the bread pudding and allow to set for twenty minutes before serving. Serve with ice cream and a good Irish Coffee! Sláinte!
