When it comes to pudding, the sky is the limit! Whether it’s sticky toffee pudding, chocolate fudge pudding, sponge pudding, or bread pudding, one of the most popular puddings!
Bread pudding is a crowd favourite because to its wonderfully fluffy texture and crunchy outer layer. Everyone like bread and pudding, so what’s not to like?
Bread pudding’s milky, warming taste and texture are a home comfort for many, but it is also enjoyed by individuals of all ages!
Bread pudding is a terrific way to use up leftover bread without needing too many extra ingredients or too much work.
So it’s a terrific way to use up leftover bread, but what about leftover pudding? We’ve all heard the expression “eyes larger than stomach,” so finding yourself with leftover pudding isn’t uncommon.
Today I’ll show you not only how to preserve your bread pudding to keep it fresh and moist for as long as possible, but also how to consume it after it’s been stored!
Contents
- What is Bread Pudding?
- How to Make Bread Pudding
- How to Store Bread Pudding
- How to Reheat Bread Pudding
- Does Bread Pudding Need to be Refrigerated – Final Thoughts
- FAQs
- FAQs
- What is the best way to store bread pudding?
- How long can I keep bread pudding in the refrigerator?
- Can bread pudding sit out overnight?
- How do you keep bread pudding from getting soggy?
- Can bread pudding be stored at room temperature?
- How do I store pudding?
- Can you store pudding outside the fridge?
- Does pudding go bad if not refrigerated?
- How do you store pudding after cooking?
- Can bread pudding be made ahead and reheated?
What is Bread Pudding?
Before we get into the best methods to store and reheat bread pudding, let’s first define bread pudding and the components that go into making it.
Bread pudding is a classic dish popular in the United Kingdom. It is also known as bread and butter pudding. It is created easily by combining bread with custard and baking it.
Of course, like with any dish, individuals have created their own variations and experimented with other fruits, spices, and chocolate to spice it up a little. Yet, it is typically a very basic and quick dish with excellent results.
It is a terrific last-minute pudding that needs very little time and care, requiring just bread, eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and sugar.
The secret to making a good bread pudding is to achieve the perfect bread-to-custard ratio. If you use too much bread, your pudding will be dry; if you use too much custard, you won’t even notice the bread.
How to Make Bread Pudding
As previously said, building your own may be really straightforward. Knowing how it is prepared will help you understand why it has to be preserved in various ways, since not only can certain components spoil faster than others, but some recipes might also dry out more faster than others.
The following are the ingredients you will need:
- 1 stale loaf of bread (cubed in to small pieces)
- 5 eggs
- 1 granulated sugar cup
- 4 quarts milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- a cup of raisins (optional)
To create this bread pudding, follow these steps:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and coat a baking dish with butter while it is heating up. Meanwhile, soak the raisins in warm water to soften them. Next, add the diced bread pieces in your plate and equally distribute them.
- Separately, in a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until thoroughly combined and the spices are evenly distributed. Pour this mixture over the bread in the plate, making sure that it is well coated.
- Drain the raisins and sprinkle them equally over the top of the mixture, then let aside for about 15 minutes to soak up the sauce. Following that, spread some tiny cubes of butter on the top of the bread and combine.
- Place the pudding in the oven and bake until the top is crispy and deeper in color. This should take around 45 minutes, but you should check on it every now and again.
- After your pudding is done, it’s time to serve! It’s lovely to serve with fresh fruit or a sprinkling of chocolate!
How to Store Bread Pudding
Unless you are preparing for a large group, it is probable that you will have some leftover bread pudding.
Bread pudding is normally OK after being left for a couple of hours. But, you must ensure that it is properly stored following this. This is because the egg and milk may go bad if kept at room temperature, just as they would if cooked in any other manner.
If this is the case, there are a few options for storing it so that it does not go to waste.
Can Bread Pudding be Refrigerated?
In a nutshell, sure. Bread pudding may be stored in the refrigerator. Just make sure it’s properly kept so it may be enjoyed in the future.
Refrigerate your bread pudding after storing it in an airtight container. If not, the bread will rapidly go moldy when coupled with the milk.
Instead, cover your bread pudding securely in gallon-size paper to guarantee no air gets inside. This will help it stay fresh. Any air will aid in the development and spread of any mold that may emerge.
Keep your pudding apart from other goods in the fridge. Bitter or salty items in the refrigerator may impact the flavor of your bread pudding, and it may taste strange if not isolated in the refrigerator.
It should survive for another two days if properly kept. But, if you want to avoid eating it after it has gone bad, your pudding should be ready for the trash after two days.
If preserved appropriately, the tightness of the container may actually help seal the taste in. You could even discover that your pudding tastes even sweeter than when it was initially prepared and consumed!
Can Bread Pudding be Stored in the Freezer?
If you want to preserve your bread pudding for more than two days, you may freeze it instead. Again, everything must be done correctly to guarantee that it is safe to consume.
To begin, when freezing bread pudding, ensure that it has cooled to room temperature before placing it in the freezer. Mold development may be accelerated by an abrupt temperature shift.
In addition, if you make a sauce for the pudding, store it separately from the bread pudding in a separate container.
It’s also worth noting that the pudding will slightly expand as it freezes. As a result, it is critical to allow for this to occur so that the container does not shatter.
If at all feasible, freeze the pudding in smaller amounts and in separate containers. This allows the bread pudding to freeze more evenly and quickly. That also implies that when it comes to thawing and eating it, it will defrost faster and easier.
If you’re going to use plastic wrap, you should also use aluminum foil to avoid freezer burn. Instead, you may use freezer-safe storage food containers that are also airtight.
It’s also a good idea to identify the servings with the date they were frozen. The bread pudding should be safe for up to three months, after which time it should be discarded. Three months might make it easy to forget how long it has been there, so labeling with the date will prevent you from eating it after it has gone bad.
Once you have already poured the sauce over the bread pudding, it is best to refrigerate it and devour it within a few days. When you thaw frozen bread pudding with sauce, it may get quite soggy.
How to Reheat Bread Pudding
After you’ve successfully saved your bread pudding, the next step is to learn how to properly reheat it when you desire to return to it.
There are many methods for reheating bread pudding. If you’re reheating bread pudding from frozen, be sure to always defrost it first. This implies that warming it from frozen is identical to refrigerating it, as long as it has fully thawed.
Just leave your frozen bread pudding at room temperature to defrost. Let it to thaw gently and evenly.
Similarly, after removed from the refrigerator, let the bread pudding to come to room temperature before heating it up to serve.
After your bread pudding has reached room temperature, you may add your sauce. I like to wait until the pudding is hot before adding the sauce, although this is purely subjective. Letting the pudding to come to room temperature first ensures that it will heat up more evenly when reheated. This strategy also decreases the possibility of temperature shocks.
Reheating Bread Pudding in the Oven
Preheat your oven to 350°F for the best results. Next bake your bread pudding for 10 to 15 minutes. Covering your bread pudding with aluminum foil can assist to retain any liquid inside. This will help to keep your bread pudding moist. If it is not well covered before reheated, it may get rather dry.
Keep the bread pudding covered for a crisper top. Finally, for the remaining few minutes, remove the lid. This implies that the moisture will be sealed in, but the top will crisp up just before the finish.
Using the oven to reheat your bread pudding ensures that it retains all of its original attributes from when it was initially cooked, which yields the best results.
It’s crucial to note that if you’re reheating a complete loaf, or more than enough for one or two servings, the cooking time may need to be adjusted.
Reheating Bread Pudding in an Air Fryer
Reheating your pudding in an air fryer yields a result that is quite similar to baking it in the oven. The air fryer, on the other hand, should be adjusted at roughly 300F. Cooking time for the pudding should be 5 to 7 minutes.
If you choose a higher temperature, your pudding may burn on the exterior while remaining chilly in the inside.
Reheating Bread Pudding in the Microwave
While this is the quickest way to reheat bread pudding, it produces the least desired results.
Microwaving bread pudding will not result in that beautiful crispy topping. It will also result in a somewhat chewier pudding than the other techniques.
To reheat in the microwave, set your microwave to 50% power and reheat in 60-second increments. It should take 1 to 3 minutes total, depending on the temperature of your pudding. If your microwave lacks a lower setting, just reduce the interval periods to 30 seconds and work with that.
If you want that crispy top, warm the pudding in the microwave and then lay it on the grill for a few minutes before serving. Instead, a cooks torch may be used to scorch the top.
While using the microwave, it is recommended to do it in tiny pieces so that they cook evenly and you do not risk drying up your pudding while attempting to guarantee the interior is likewise heated thoroughly.
Reheating Bread Pudding on the Stove
Lastly, reheat the bread pudding on the burner. Although, it does need some more steps and adds a few extra calories to your meal, but who’s counting?
Begin by buttering each side of your bread pudding. Instead, you might melt some butter in a pan. This is just to keep the pudding from sticking.
Cook the pudding slices for 60 seconds on each side in a hot pan. This will thoroughly cook it and crisp up the sides. It’s not only fast, but the additional butter gives a new blast of flavor. It also adds moisture while hastening the crisping process.
This is the easiest and most delicious way to reheat bread pudding. However it is even more luxurious and unhealthy.
Adding sauce to any of the aforementioned techniques can assist to keep your pudding from becoming dry. The trick to reheating is to get it to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The amount of crispiness will then be determined by the approach you use.
Does Bread Pudding Need to be Refrigerated – Final Thoughts
Bread pudding is one of the most popular puddings in the country, yet we always seem to have leftovers.
If you find yourself in this situation, you may easily keep it for another time.
The crucial element is to never leave your pudding out at room temperature for more than a couple of hours. Just cover it snugly and securely in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator for a few days. You may also store it in the freezer, which will keep it fresher for much longer.
When you begin to reheat the pudding, ensure sure it has thawed back to room temperature throughout.
To reheat your pudding, use a microwave, stove, oven, or air fryer. Combining an oven and an air fryer produces a moist but crispy result that is most comparable to the original pudding.
Instead, a microwave may be used. However this makes it little mushy, chewy, and lacks the crispy top. That is, however, the fastest approach.
Lastly, you may reheat your pudding on the stove with some more butter. This produces a lovely reheated pudding, albeit it is somewhat more unhealthy than the others.
Thus, whatever you want to continue enjoying your bread pudding, make sure it is well warm. Then top it with some sauce and you’re ready to go!
(By the way, coffee works well with bread pudding. But what pairs best with pumpernickel bread?)
FAQs
Can bread pudding sit out overnight?
Bread pudding should not be left out at room temperature for more than 2 to 3 hours. Following this period, you should store properly and refrigerate or freeze.
How do you know if bread pudding is bad?
If your bread pudding starts to smell sour or has mold growing on it, it’s time to throw it out.
FAQs
What is the best way to store bread pudding?
After the bread pudding has completely cooled, carefully wrap it and put it in the refrigerator. An airtight container or a freezer bag are ideal for the task, but if you need to keep a full cake, a cake carrier may be your only alternative. What exactly is this? You may, of course, wrap the leftovers in plastic wrap instead.
How long can I keep bread pudding in the refrigerator?
The bread pudding may be kept securely wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The bread pudding can keep in the freezer for up to 3 months if firmly wrapped. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Can bread pudding sit out overnight?
Is it okay to leave bread pudding out overnight? Do not leave your bread pudding out at room temperature for more than 2 hours after baking. You should consume it within four days.
How do you keep bread pudding from getting soggy?
Your bread pudding may turn out mushy if it is not thoroughly cooked or if the bread is not sufficiently stale. Bake it until it is no longer wet and soggy, then toast your bread well before using it.
Can bread pudding be stored at room temperature?
Refrigeration is required since bread pudding is a very wet baked item that may rapidly mold if left out on the counter.
How do I store pudding?
The puddings may be stored in a spare room as long as they are kept away from direct light and heat. Since it is a spare room, you may be able to dial the thermostat down somewhat in that room because the puddings will keep better in a colder atmosphere.
Can you store pudding outside the fridge?
Although though pudding has a longer shelf life than most foods, it may spoil. When you prepare pudding at home and keep it in the refrigerator, it may last for 5-7 days. You may also keep it in the pantry for one day.
Does pudding go bad if not refrigerated?
Hence, although a refrigerator is advised for packed prepared pudding, it is not essential… if you purchased the prepared pudding in the refrigerated area, keep it in the refrigerator; if you purchased it on the shelf, keep it on the shelf. After opening, both types should be refrigerated.
How do you store pudding after cooking?
Preparing and storing
After steaming and cooling your pudding, cover the foil with a newly buttered piece to keep it moist and store in a cold, dark area, or the refrigerator, until ready to reheat on Christmas day.
Can bread pudding be made ahead and reheated?
Bread pudding may be prepared a day ahead of time, refrigerated overnight, and baked just before serving. You can also bake it ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for one to two days before reheating in the oven.