Portuguese bread pudding (Pudim de pão)

Pudim de pão is Portuguese thrift at its most delicious: yesterday’s bread reborn as a silky baked custard pudding, scented with lemon zest and cinnamon and — in the best versions — studded with Port-soaked raisins over a caramel base.

Every Portuguese household has a version, because every Portuguese household has leftover bread and refuses on principle to waste it. The water bath is the one technique that matters: it keeps the pudding soft, moist and trembling.

It is humble enough for Tuesday and handsome enough for Sunday lunch — and it costs almost nothing to make, which would have pleased every grandmother who ever perfected it.

Pudim de Pão Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes (plus 15 minutes soaking) · Cook time: 45 minutes · Total: about 1 hour 10 minutes · Servings: 6 · Calories: ~310 per serving

Ingredients

• 8 oz stale bread, cubed
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup raisins (optional)
• ¼ cup Port wine or brandy (optional, for the raisins)
• ¼ cup caramel sauce (optional, for the dish)
• Butter, for greasing

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9×9-inch dish and spread the caramel over the bottom, if using.
2. Warm the milk and cream in a saucepan, then remove from the heat.
3. Whisk the eggs, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest and cinnamon, then slowly whisk in the warm milk.
4. Add the bread cubes, pressing gently so they soak, and rest 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Soak the raisins in the Port for 10 minutes, drain, and fold them in.
6. Pour into the dish, set it in a larger roasting pan, and add hot water halfway up the sides.
7. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, until set and golden — a knife in the center should come out clean.
8. Cool slightly and serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe Notes

• Any bread works, but a sturdy country loaf (or leftover broa) gives the best texture.
• The caramel bottom turns it into an upside-down showpiece if you unmold it chilled.
• It keeps 3 days refrigerated and is arguably at its best cold, straight from the dish, at midnight.