Top 9 European Bread Pudding

This simple, sweet bread pudding known as mákos guba is one of the most popular Hungarian desserts that was traditionally associated with Christmastime. This layered sweet treat consists of soaked white bread and a creamy mixture of flavored poppy seeds. Nowadays the dish is enjoyed all year round, and it appears in many variations that often incorporate nuts, dry fruit, or sliced apples. Whether it is shortly baked until crispy or served chilled, it is typically drizzled with vanilla custard or dusted with powdered sugar.Expand

This traditional bread pudding comes from Swabia and is made with pieces of stale bread and apples, drenched in a custard-like mixture of milk, sugar, eggs, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla sugar. Everything is combined into a greased baking dish and baked until nicely colored and slightly crispy on top. Ofenschlupfer is often enhanced with raisins and flaked almonds, and it is usually finished with icing sugar after baking. In Swabia, this simple dessert is typically savored warm with vanilla sauce and fresh cream on the side, but it also pairs well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.Expand

Kirschenmichel is a buttery German bread pudding enriched with sweet cherries. A common dessert in southern Germany, this sweet treat is typically flavored with cinnamon, cloves, Kirsch liqueur, vanilla extract, or almond extract. Moist and sweet, this bread pudding can be enjoyed warm, at room temperature, or chilled. It is usually dusted with powdered sugar and accompanied by vanilla custard, whipped cream, or ice cream. Kirschenmichel is generally consumed as a simple after-lunch dessert, but it is sometimes eaten for lunch as well.Expand

Summer pudding is an uncooked English dessert that is essentially a bread pudding made from slices of white bread, sugar, and mixed fruits such as blackberries, raspberries, and currants. Traditionally, it is prepared in a bowl that is turned upside down, so that the bread soaks up all of the fruit juices, and the pudding develops a domed shape. It is recommended to serve summer pudding with a dollop of two of double-cream on the side.Expand

This simple, yet flavorful Maltese dessert couples soaked pieces of bread with eggs, cocoa, nuts, and dried fruit. The combination is usually seasoned with orange zest and various spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg before it is baked until firm. Since Malta was a British colony, it is believed that pudina is a variation of the classic British bread pudding. The dessert can be enjoyed lukewarm or well-chilled, and it is usually served sliced and paired with coffee.Expand

Miascia is an ancient cucina povera dessert originating from the area of Lago di Como. This little known staple of cucina povera has no fixed ingredients, but it's usually made with a combination of day-old or stale bread (pan poss in local dialect), butter, milk, eggs, lemon zest, apples, pears, sultanas, sugar, flour, polenta flour, and rosemary. The bread is cut into cubes and soaked in milk, then mixed with the eggs, lemon zest, apple and pear slices, sugar, sultanas, and both types of flour. Once baked, the cake is often sprinkled with chopped rosemary, giving miascia its unique flavor. In the past, miascia was served on special occasions, but nowadays it is often enjoyed as a simple breakfast. Accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream and paired with a fortified wine, it can also be transformed into an even better dessert than it already is.Expand

Semmelschmarrn is a sweet and buttery bread pudding and a traditional Bavarian dessert. The preparation is fairly simple - stale bread is first soaked in milk, then mixed with eggs and sugar and cooked in butter. The mix is usually flavored with cinnamon, but vanilla extract can also be used. The dessert is served warm, and it's recommended to pair it with stewed plums, applesauce, compotes, ice cream, and fresh fruit. Because of the basic ingredients and the simple preparation process, semmelscharrn was once considered poor man’s food.Expand

Coupétado is a traditional bread pudding originating from Lozère. It's usually made with a combination of prunes, raisins, day-old bread, eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla. A baking dish is layered with prunes and raisins, the fruit is topped with bread slices, and the bread slices are topped with a mixture of whisked eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla. The dessert is pressed down with a fork so that the bread is completely soaked in liquid. It is baked until the pudding puffs up and becomes nicely browned. Coupétado can be served for breakfast, as a dessert after a big meal, or as a sweet afternoon treat. It's named for the coupet, a deep earthenware vessel in which the dessert was traditionally prepared.Expand

Farcement or farçon de Séez is a traditional bread pudding originating from the region of Savoie. It's usually made with a combination of day-old bread, milk, eggs, butter, raisins, dark rum, sugar, saffron, cloves, and cinnamon. The raisins, rum, and water are heated in a saucepan and reserved. The milk, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and saffron are heated in another saucepan that's taken off the heat once the mixture boils. Both mixtures are poured over bread pieces, and they're left to soak for about an hour. Once the bread is soaked, beaten eggs are added and everything is well mixed. The contents from the bowl are cooked in butter over low heat, and once the top becomes solid and the bottom is golden brown, the dessert is inverted onto a platter and enjoyed warm.Expand