Guys, I’m in love. Not with another human, much to the chagrin of every wedding-hungry relative I have in India. Not with a stripper, unlike T-Pain. I’m in love with my brand new cast-iron skillet. (Just look at that beauty. Its dark ebony finish, its chemical-free nonstick surface, its chameleonic ability to go from stovetop to oven in mere seconds. Ok fine, I’ll stop now … )
I’ve wanted a cast-iron skillet for a while now, but hadn’t bought one out of fear. You know, “it’s hard to clean,” “it’s hard to season,” “it’s hard to maintain that nonstick finish.” All of those things might be true. But after years of stalling, I finally pulled the trigger.
Why? Because I spotted this recipe for breakfast bread pudding, which requires one to make a stovetop salted caramel and then bake the caramel with a loaf of challah and the most delicious eggy custard, which is a cinch to do in a cast-iron skillet. There was salted caramel on the line here. It was time.
This bread pudding rounded out my sister’s birthday brunch (along with this breakfast casserole and this dark chocolate stout cake, with a wee little bowl of berries on the side for “balance” [there was also OJ in my mimosa and tomato juice in my Bloody Mary, so that’s three fruits/vegetables, right?]).
And guys, this is a showstopper. The salty caramel, the barely sweet custard that transforms the rich bread into plush pillows of deliciousness. I added some bananas, since I love them and they pair so nicely with caramel-y custardy things. The bread pudding is just barely on the right side of “too sweet,” a breakfast indulgence for special occasions like birthdays or brunches or ya know … inaugurating your new favorite kitchen implement.
Banana-Caramel Breakfast Bread Pudding
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Makes 6 large servings, or 8-10 if you’re serving other things
– 3/4 cup granulated sugar
– 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
– 2-3 pinches of coarse sea salt
– 12-ounce loaf brioche or challah, cut into 1-inch-thick slices
– 2 large bananas, cut into 1-inch-thick slices
– 6 large eggs
– 1 cup creme fraiche, divided (1/4 cup for the custard, and an additional 3/4 cup for serving)
– 1-1/2 cups whole milk
– 1/2 cup heavy cream
– 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1) In a 10-inch cast iron skillet*, heat the sugar, butter and salt together on medium-low heat. After about 10 minutes, the sugar will dissolve into the melted butter and begin to brown. (It’s fine if the sugar and butter separate — it will all turn out okay in the end.) Using a wooden spatula or spoon, stir the sugar frequently so that it caramelizes evenly. Once it reaches a creamy latte color, pull it off the stove (it will continue cooking for a minute or two longer in the hot skillet). Refrigerate for 30 minutes until the caramel has solidified.
2) Once the caramel has hardened, arrange the bread slices in the skillet. (Deb suggests placing the heel in the center and fanning out the slices around like a flower. I tried to do this and failed, but it kind of doesn’t matter because a) the caramel covers the flower shape when you flip the bread pudding out of the skillet, and b) no one stopped to admire the beauty of the bread pudding as they were shoveling it into their faces.) Tuck the banana slices between the bread pieces.
3) In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and 1/4 cup of the creme fraiche until well combined. Add the whole milk, heavy cream and vanilla extract and stir well. Pour the mixture over the bread, pressing the bread down slightly so that it is all saturated. Cover tightly with tin foil and refrigerate overnight. (Use a heavy plate to weigh down the bread if it is sticking too high over the edge of the skillet to properly soak in the custard mixture.)
4) The next morning, take the skillet out of the refrigerator an hour before cooking. Preheat the oven to 375F. Remove the tin foil from the bread pudding and bake for 35-40 minutes, until it is no longer wet in the center. Remove from the oven and use a knife to loosen the pudding from the edge of the skillet. Hold a serving platter over top of the skillet (the bottom side of the plate should face towards you), then flip the skillet and plate so that the bread pudding releases from the skillet. It should fall caramel side-up. Cut the bread pudding into wedges and serve immediately, preferably with a large dollop of creme fraiche.
*If you don’t have one of these (but really, they’re less than $20 and amazing), you can make the caramel in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, then transfer it to a 2-quart gratin or baking dish (or even a 10-inch cake pan). Cook the caramel for an extra minute if doing so, since the caramel will continue cooking in the cast-iron skillet but won’t if you’re transferring.
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