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creative_cooks2025-06-20 10:24 pm
ysabetwordsmith) wrote in creative_cooks2025-06-20 10:24 pm
Recipe: "Pretzel Bread Savory Bread Pudding with Ham"
We made this tonight. It was delicious! We used some of the pretzel bread that we got at the Marshall Farmer's Market.
"Pretzel Bread Savory Bread Pudding with Ham"
Ingredients:
2 cups stale pretzel bread
1/2 to 1 pound diced ham
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 1/2 cups shredded cheese (about 1/2 pound)
1/4 cup parsley flakes
6 eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 heaping teaspoon Bragg Organic Sprinkle 24 Herbs and Spices
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Tear up stale pretzel bread until it almost fills a 9x13" baking dish. (If it is not stale, spread it on a tray and stick it in the oven for a couple minutes while the oven is heating, until the bread starts to dry out a bit.) This takes about 2 cups. Then transfer the bread bits into a large mixing bowl.
Wipe out the 9x13" baking dish, grease it, and set it aside.
If the ham is raw, you will need to brown it in a little butter or other cooking fat using a large skillet and medium heat. Stir with a slotted spatula to break the meat into tiny pieces. Transfer the ham into the big mixing bowl, leaving the fat behind. Precooked ham can go straight into the bowl.
Dice the onion. Saute it in the remaining fat from the ham. (If you used precooked ham, you'll need to saute the onion in a different fat such as sunflower oil.) Cook until soft and translucent, about five minutes. Add the onion to the big mixing bowl. Fold gently to combine.
Grate enough cheese to make about 2 1/2 cups. This usually takes a little over 1/2 pound of block cheese. A sharp cheddar or Swiss combines well with a softer melty cheese. Add the cheese to the big mixing bowl and fold it in.
Fold 1/4 cup parsley flakes (or 1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley) into the filling in the big mixing bowl.
Carefully scoop the meat and bread filling mix into the 9x13" baking dish and spread it around until level.
Get out another mixing bowl, preferably a batter bowl with a spout on it. Put in six eggs and whisk them together. Add 2 cups of half-and-half and whisk it in.
Sprinkle in 1 heaping teaspoon Bragg Organic Sprinkle 24 Herbs and Spices. (Because pretzel bread and ham are salty ingredients, you do NOT need to add extra salt here.) Whisk all that together with the batter.
Pour the batter over the meat and bread filling in a zig-zag pattern to saturate the filling as much as possible. Put the savory bread pudding into the oven and bake at 350ºF for 45 minutes.
When the timer rings, check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center. If the toothpick comes out moist but not wet, it's done. Usually at this stage, the top will be toasty brown but the interior will still be wet. Put aluminum foil loosely over the top to keep it from burning, and cook for another 15 minutes.
Serves 4-6 people.
Notes:
Pretzel bread is robust, chewy, and saltier than average. It stands up great in a savory bread pudding. Choose other ingredients that will match the strong flavor.
If you do not have stale bread, you can use fresh bread. To stiffen it up, run it through the toaster briefly, microwave on low heat for a couple of minutes, or leave it sitting out for a few hours.
Raw or cooked diced ham works here, 1/2 to 1 pound depend on other ingredients.. You could also use bacon. If you are bringing home restaurant leftovers, remember that many meat entrees now come on a bed of lightly grilled vegetables. Save those to chop into your savory bread pudding!
Cooking fat can be whatever you like. Butter or olive oil add nice flavor. Clarified butter, or ghee, is ideal for cooking because it's almost impossible to burn. If you save bacon grease, it is terrific for occasions like this where you want to add flavor to whatever you are frying up. Try to avoid highly processed things with synthetic ingredients, which are not good for you nor do they taste very good.
Sweet onions add flavor with little or no heat. You could also use shallots, green onions (including the green part), leeks, etc. Chives or garlic chives combine beautifully with pearl onions or shallots. Garlic goes well with something green like bell peppers or celery to make up vegetable mass until you have half a cup. Another option is to use a tablespoon of dried onion chips, plus some dried chives or green onions, as dried onion gives a lot of flavor for not much volume.
Cheese is one of the main flavors in this recipe. You can use preshredded cheese or grate your own from a block. Any shredded cheese blend such as Mexican or Italian tends to work well in this recipe. You can also mix your own by combining a strong flavor such as aged cheddar with a good melting cheese such as gouda. This is a good dish for rich, mellow cheese or fancy robust cheese, because the other ingredients won't overshadow the flavor. I used Cabot Seriously Sharp White Cheddar aged 18 years plus Fiesta Blend.
Parsley flakes work well here, but you could also use cilantro flakes. Double the quantity for fresh herbs.
I used Bragg Organic Sprinkle 24 Herbs and Spices. You can use another blend such as herbes de Provence, Italian, or poultry seasoning; or throw together a combination like sweet basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sage.
This recipe is a version of the Savory Bread Pudding Algorithm. It turned out quite well and we devoured most of it. With these salty ingredients, it makes a great summer dish.
"Pretzel Bread Savory Bread Pudding with Ham"
Ingredients:
2 cups stale pretzel bread
1/2 to 1 pound diced ham
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 1/2 cups shredded cheese (about 1/2 pound)
1/4 cup parsley flakes
6 eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 heaping teaspoon Bragg Organic Sprinkle 24 Herbs and Spices
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Tear up stale pretzel bread until it almost fills a 9x13" baking dish. (If it is not stale, spread it on a tray and stick it in the oven for a couple minutes while the oven is heating, until the bread starts to dry out a bit.) This takes about 2 cups. Then transfer the bread bits into a large mixing bowl.
Wipe out the 9x13" baking dish, grease it, and set it aside.
If the ham is raw, you will need to brown it in a little butter or other cooking fat using a large skillet and medium heat. Stir with a slotted spatula to break the meat into tiny pieces. Transfer the ham into the big mixing bowl, leaving the fat behind. Precooked ham can go straight into the bowl.
Dice the onion. Saute it in the remaining fat from the ham. (If you used precooked ham, you'll need to saute the onion in a different fat such as sunflower oil.) Cook until soft and translucent, about five minutes. Add the onion to the big mixing bowl. Fold gently to combine.
Grate enough cheese to make about 2 1/2 cups. This usually takes a little over 1/2 pound of block cheese. A sharp cheddar or Swiss combines well with a softer melty cheese. Add the cheese to the big mixing bowl and fold it in.
Fold 1/4 cup parsley flakes (or 1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley) into the filling in the big mixing bowl.
Carefully scoop the meat and bread filling mix into the 9x13" baking dish and spread it around until level.
Get out another mixing bowl, preferably a batter bowl with a spout on it. Put in six eggs and whisk them together. Add 2 cups of half-and-half and whisk it in.
Sprinkle in 1 heaping teaspoon Bragg Organic Sprinkle 24 Herbs and Spices. (Because pretzel bread and ham are salty ingredients, you do NOT need to add extra salt here.) Whisk all that together with the batter.
Pour the batter over the meat and bread filling in a zig-zag pattern to saturate the filling as much as possible. Put the savory bread pudding into the oven and bake at 350ºF for 45 minutes.
When the timer rings, check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center. If the toothpick comes out moist but not wet, it's done. Usually at this stage, the top will be toasty brown but the interior will still be wet. Put aluminum foil loosely over the top to keep it from burning, and cook for another 15 minutes.
Serves 4-6 people.
Notes:
Pretzel bread is robust, chewy, and saltier than average. It stands up great in a savory bread pudding. Choose other ingredients that will match the strong flavor.
If you do not have stale bread, you can use fresh bread. To stiffen it up, run it through the toaster briefly, microwave on low heat for a couple of minutes, or leave it sitting out for a few hours.
Raw or cooked diced ham works here, 1/2 to 1 pound depend on other ingredients.. You could also use bacon. If you are bringing home restaurant leftovers, remember that many meat entrees now come on a bed of lightly grilled vegetables. Save those to chop into your savory bread pudding!
Cooking fat can be whatever you like. Butter or olive oil add nice flavor. Clarified butter, or ghee, is ideal for cooking because it's almost impossible to burn. If you save bacon grease, it is terrific for occasions like this where you want to add flavor to whatever you are frying up. Try to avoid highly processed things with synthetic ingredients, which are not good for you nor do they taste very good.
Sweet onions add flavor with little or no heat. You could also use shallots, green onions (including the green part), leeks, etc. Chives or garlic chives combine beautifully with pearl onions or shallots. Garlic goes well with something green like bell peppers or celery to make up vegetable mass until you have half a cup. Another option is to use a tablespoon of dried onion chips, plus some dried chives or green onions, as dried onion gives a lot of flavor for not much volume.
Cheese is one of the main flavors in this recipe. You can use preshredded cheese or grate your own from a block. Any shredded cheese blend such as Mexican or Italian tends to work well in this recipe. You can also mix your own by combining a strong flavor such as aged cheddar with a good melting cheese such as gouda. This is a good dish for rich, mellow cheese or fancy robust cheese, because the other ingredients won't overshadow the flavor. I used Cabot Seriously Sharp White Cheddar aged 18 years plus Fiesta Blend.
Parsley flakes work well here, but you could also use cilantro flakes. Double the quantity for fresh herbs.
I used Bragg Organic Sprinkle 24 Herbs and Spices. You can use another blend such as herbes de Provence, Italian, or poultry seasoning; or throw together a combination like sweet basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sage.
This recipe is a version of the Savory Bread Pudding Algorithm. It turned out quite well and we devoured most of it. With these salty ingredients, it makes a great summer dish.