Madeline Sorel Bread Pudding From Nancy Silverton At Maxwells Plum Recipes

BEST EVER BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk together the first 10 ingredients until blended. Gently stir in bread. Transfer to a greased 3-qt. or 13x9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with brown sugar; let stand until bread is softened, about 15 minutes. Bake until puffed and a knife inserted in center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes., Meanwhile, for sauce, melt butter in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar; stir until dissolved. Gradually stir in cream. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until thickened, 15-20 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; add vanilla, sea salt and baking soda, stirring well. Serve sauce with warm bread pudding.

NANCY SILVERMAN'S RUSTIC SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Place 2 1/3 cups water, 2 cups + 2 TBS sourdough starter, yeast and bread flour in the bowl of a mixer and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, just to moisten. Fit the mixer with a dough hook and mix the dough on medium speed for 6 minutes. Turn the mixer off and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.
• Add salt and mix on medium speed for 2 more minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary.
• Place milk, olive oil and remaining 1/3 cup water in a small bowl and stir together. With the mixer on low speed, very gradually add the liquids to the dough. Don't add the liquids too rapidly or they will slosh out of the bowl. Continue mixing on low until the ingredients are completely incorporated and then beat on high speed for 4 minutes.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to ferment at room temperature for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until it reaches the top of the bowl and doubles in volume. Sprinkle the work surface heavily with flour and pour the dough out to form a rough oval. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour, cover it with a cloth and allow it to rest for 20 minutes.
• Cut 2 pieces of parchment paper approximately 12 x 16-inches and place them side-by-side on the work surface. Sprinkle the papers heavily with the semolina, then with bread flour. Uncover the dough and sprinkle the top with more bread flour.
• In a single continuous motion, cut the dough with a dough cutter into 2 equal pieces, carefully pulling the dough apart with your free hand as you go. Without pausing, carefully scoop up 1 piece of the dough, using the dough cutter and your free hand to hold each end, and lay the dough on a pieces of parchment paper, allowing the dough to stretch as it falls to form an oblong shape approximately 8 x 10 inches in area and 1 1/2 inches thick. It's more important to get the proper thickness than the right width or length. Repeat the procedure with the second piece of dough.
• Using your index fingers, dimple each piece of dough at random 2-inch intervals, being sure to press through all the way through to the parchment paper.
• Lightly sprinkle the dough tops with bread flour and semolina. Cover each with a cloth and allow them to proof at room temperature for 2 hours. Test for readiness by lightly pressing two fingers into the dough. The dough should feel soft and alive, not longer sticky.
• Open the oven door and heavily spritz the oven with water from a spray bottle and quickly close the door. Keeping the parchment paper under the dough, slide the baker's peel (a large baking spatula) under 1 piece of dough.
• Open the oven door, slide the dough and the parchment paper onto a pizza stone and quickly close the door. Spritz and load the second piece of dough in the same manner as the first. Turn the temperature down to 450°F Spritz the oven with water 2 more times during the next 5 minutes. Refrain from opening the oven door for 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, slide the peel between the bread and the parchment paper and remove the paper. Return the bread to the baking tiles and rotate if necessary to ensure even baking. Continue baking another 5 minutes. With the peel, flip the bread upside down to allow even browning. Bake another 5 to 8 minutes for a total of 30 to 33 minutes. Remove the loaves from the oven and place them on a cooling rack. When the bread is cooled, dust off excess flour.

MADELINE SOREL BREAD PUDDING FROM NANCY SILVERTON AT MAXWELL'S PLUM

Steps:

• Scald the milk, cream, cinnamon stick, nutmeg and vanilla bean, including pod. Remove from heat, cover and let stand at least 30 minutes; remove pod and cinnamon stick.
• Spread the bread slices on a baking sheet and toast at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, until hard but not colored.
• Mix clarified butter with five tablespoons of sugar and one teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Using a pastry brush, paint a thin, even layer of butter on both sides of the bread, coating but not saturating. Keep the sugar and cinnamon mixed with the butter by stirring before coating each bread slice. Lay buttered slices in a single layer.
• In small saucepan, heat one-quarter cup of sugar and two tablespoons of water over high heat. As the mixture boils, brush down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush to dissolve sugar. Boil until the mixture is deep amber. Immediately pour hot caramel mixture over the bottom of a two-quart straight-sided porcelain souffle dish that is three inches deep and seven inches in diameter. Set dish aside.
• With a wire whisk, beat the yolks and whole egg with two tablespoons of sugar until the sugar dissolves.
• Reheat the cream mixture to scalding and pour over the beaten yolks, whisking constantly. Strain to remove bits of cinnamon stick and vanilla bean; set aside.
• Place four to six slices of bread on the bottom of the souffle dish. With a serrated knife, cut another slice of bread into pieces to completely fill all gaps. Pour in enough custard just to cover the bread.
• Spread with half of the applesauce and moisten lightly with custard. Put on another layer of bread, filling in gaps and covering with custard.
• Spread with the remaining applesauce and moisten with custard again.
• Finish the pudding with two layers of bread, pouring on remaining custard. Press down a bit to make sure the custard saturates the entire pudding.
• Bake for one hour at 350 degrees on a rack in the upper third of the oven. The pudding will swell up, and when it is done, it will be brown, crusty and set. Cool for 30 minutes, unmold on serving platter and serve warm with creme fraiche or sour cream.