Bread pudding is one of my absolute favorite desserts – its easy to make and is one of those great dishes you can whip up with all that leftover bread hanging out in your freezer. I have fond memories of my mother making batches of bread pudding with the “ends” of the bread that my brother and I would never eat.
Now as an adult, I love experimenting with different kinds of breads in my bread pudding, and it should come as no surprise that my favorite kind of bread to use for bread pudding is challah. Challah already has good flavor and soaks up the milk, eggs and sugar really well, just like french toast! I’ve also had amazing croissant bread pudding that was surprisingly light while still being decadent and the most delicious bread pudding I’ve ever had is the white chocolate biscuit bread pudding at Cafe Adelaide in New Orleans.
When I saw Babka bread pudding on the menu at Kutscher’s Tribeca in NYC I knew I had to try to make my own version. Babka is already dense and sweet, so it provides the perfect backdrop for a rich, pareve Shabbat-perfect dessert.
I suggest using a chocolate babka, but of course you could use a cinnamon babka as well, even if Seinfeld might disagree.
Ingredients
1 store-bought chocolate babka
3 cups coconut or almond milk
1/4 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Directions
Lightly grease a 13 x 9 baking dish using cooking spray or vegetable oil.
Cut the babka into half inch cubes and place into baking dish.
Combine coconut or almond milk, sugar and vanilla in large bowl. In a smaller bowl, beat eggs together. Add eggs to milk mixture.
Pour liquid over babka cubes and let soak in for an hour. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.
Serve with pareve ice cream and fresh berries.
pareve
Pronounced: PAHRV or pah-REV, Origin: Hebrew, an adjective to describe a food or dish that is neither meat nor dairy. (Kosher laws prohibit serving meat and dairy together.)
