I've been practicing making croissants lately, and even though the recipe I'm working on is a small batch, we still end up with more croissants than we can eat. That's where Croissant Bread Pudding for Two comes in. The recipe is loosely based on Ina Garten's croissant bread pudding, but scaled down for a household of two middle-aged people and one optimistic dog who always assumes there's a pup-cup version.
I haven't yet tested it with sourdough, but this recipe works perfectly with rich breads such as croissants, brioche, or challah. As for the "for two" part, that could mean for two people or for two days or for both. It's a small batch dessert, but rich and satisfying, so you can serve a very small portion and round it out with whipped cream and fresh berries.
Texture and Flavor
I've seen bread pudding in all different shapes and consistencies. Choose the texture to match your mood. The photo below shows a piece from one of my longer-baked batches. It held its shape well and had a more substantial texture. Some of the shorter-baked versions were much softer and oozed when served warm. Surprisingly, those were delicious once chilled. As for flavor, this one is vanilla bean all the way. The vanilla bean paste really comes through and goes so well with the buttery croissants.
Why Milk and Cream Instead of Half-and-Half?
One bit difference between my recipe and Ina's is that I used milk and cream instead of half & half. And did you know that thing half-and-half isn't literally half milk and half cream? Commercial half-and-half contains between 10.5% and 18% milk fat, so a closer homemade substitute is about one-third cream and two-thirds whole milk. For this recipe I went with just a little over a cup of milk and ½ cup of heavy cream.
Pan Size
The rectangular ceramic baking dish shown in the photos is a Le Creuset piece that I found at TJ Maxx. HomeGoods often carries similar dishes in a variety of sizes, and almost any small casserole dish will work.
You can also divide the mixture among individual ramekins or baking dishes for personal-sized servings. I haven't tested the baking time for smaller dishes yet, so keep an eye on them and check for doneness a little earlier.
Recipe
Croissant Bread Pudding for Two
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk (270 grams)
- ½ cup heavy cream (120 grams)
- ½ cup sugar (100 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 large or 4 smaller croissants (4-5 oz total) (120-140 grams)
Instructions
- Grease a small baking dish, something around 6x8 or 7x7 with butter.
- Slice the croissants in half and lay across the bottom of the pan, mostly cut-side-up but with a few cut-side-down for aesthetics and just to be rebellious.
- Whisk together the egg, egg yolks, milk, cream, sugar and vanilla and pour across the croissants. Let stand for about 30 minutes so that the croissants can soak up some of the milk mixture. You can also refrigerate it and let it stand for a few hours if needed.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat up some water on the stove.
- Set the small dish in a larger dish (such as a 13x9 inch baking pan).
- Fill the larger pan with an inch of hot water or enough to come up about half way up the smaller dish. Cover the large pan with foil.
- Bake at 350 for 35 minutes with the foil, then remove foil and bake uncovered for another 30 minutes. It might look slightly wet at this point, but should not be oozy and runny.
- Let cool at room temperature. As it cools, it should set up. Once cool (or just slightly warm) transfer it to the refrigerator and chill until cold.
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