Steamed Caramel Bread Pudding or Flan - smooth, creamy and satiny, drenched in a divine caramel sauce is the to-die-for dessert you can make with bread, milk, sugar and eggs; steamed in a pressure cooker. Any time you make this, it is going to be a show stopper. Enjoy this as a dessert at your next party or to celebrate any special occasion. My favorite has always been caramel custard which uses only milk, eggs and sugar (4 recipes for caramel custard in my blog are proof of that!!). Recently, my elder daughter-in-law had whatsapped me a picture of bread caramel pudding she had made and I was blown away by how scrumptious it looked. My younger son loves caramel custard and I do not fail to make it whenever I visit him.
But this bread pudding (using bread slices to give a denser texture to the pudding) sounded interesting, so with to and fro conversations on whatsapp, she shared her amazing recipe. Milk, eggs, sugar and bread are always in my pantry and refrigerator. I could not wait to try this. All caramel custard desserts are self saucing and this one was too. The fun part is, you can use stale bread too (a great way to finish off those unwanted sides and slightly dry leftover bread); either white or brown; I had only white. The caramel custards I have made previously used an oven; this one was fascinating because it needed steaming in a pressure cooker. Lot of homes do not have ovens in their kitchen; this recipe is apt for them.
It involves only two steps in preparation; prepare the caramel sauce by melting sugar with a splash of water until the mixture is amber or light golden brown. Keep an eye on it as it can turn dark brown and bitter in seconds! Once the caramel sauce is ready, pour it into the pan you will be steaming the custard and allow it to set. Second step is to prepare the bread custard mixture; blend eggs, bread slices, sugar, vanilla and milk in a blender or food processor until smooth and cream. Pour into the prepared caramel coated pan, lightly cover it, and it is ready to be steamed. You can either steam it or bake it in an oven with a water bath (check the method here) until the custard is cooked but there is still a slight jiggle to the pudding. Chill in the refrigerator, invert, and serve delectable, scrumptious slices of creamy, scrumptious bread pudding, coated with the golden sweet caramel sauce dripping and drizzling all over it.
This show-stopper dessert can be made well ahead and stays in the refrigerator for at least 3 to 4 days (if it lasts that long!); so it is perfect as a make-ahead dessert for any special party at your home or just to enjoy any time!
How to make Caramel Bread Custard:
To make the caramel sauce:
In a small saucepan, melt sugar and water on medium heat.
Cook Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
FOR THE CARAMEL SAUCE: ½ cup sugar 3 tsp water FOR THE BREAD PUDDING/CUSTARD: 4 eggs 1 tsp vanilla essence/extract 500 ml milk 1 cup sugar 4 slices of bread (white or brown; my slices were big, so I used only 4; if small you can use more)
Instructions Notes
After a few minutes, the sugar will melt and will start to bubble up.
The color will begin to change to light golden and start to become darker. When the sauce turns golden brown or amber, remove from heat and immediately pour into a pan you will use to steam the custard. Swirl the pan to spread the caramel sauce evenly over the bottom of the pan.
To make the bread custard:
In a blender jar, mix eggs, vanilla essence, milk and 1 cup sugar (you can reduce the amount of sugar if you prefer a slight less sweet flan). Add bread slices one by one and beat or mix again to a smooth mixture. Pour into the caramel coated pan.
Fill a pressure cooker with water up to 2 inches. Place a trivet at the bottom of the pan.
Place the bowl with custard over it. Lightly cover the custard with foil (make a few holes in the foil for steam to escape). Close the pressure cooker and steam (without weight) for 45 minutes to one hour (checking in between around 45 minutes with a toothpick test). Once cooked, remove the foil gently.
Remove the pan from pressure cooker, cool the custard slightly. Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the custard and let cool in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or even overnight. Some prefer warm custard, but we love it thoroughly chilled. Just before serving, invert gently onto a large serving plate. Immediately, the creamy, golden brown caramel will cover the custard fully and start to drizzle down the sides of the creamy, divine bread pudding.
Slice and serve chilled. Enjoy!!
Join the party at : #FiestaFriday | #cookingwithauntjuju | #herbspicesandtradition | #sweetinspiration | For more caramel custard recipes, try: Caramel Custard (with condensed milk) Creme Caramel Custard (without condensed milk) Creme Caramel Flan If you like my posts and recipes, do not forget to Pin, Share, comment in the box below or like my Facebook page.
