I have been trying to duplicate this recipe for 30+ years. My Italian great aunt used to make a bread pudding that looked purple/gray'ish in color.

I have tried molasses, raisins, coco, just about everything. After it was baked, she would transfer it to tin foil [round 9" baking pan size] and let it cool. It was thick enough to just cut and eat with our hands. I remember watching her rip bread and boil milk-but the rest is a mystery to me. Anyone have a pudding recipe in the family that looks like this?

Lucy K
  • Posted by: Lucy K
  • June 28, 2019
  • 1867 views
  • 5 Comments

5 Comments

HalfPint
HalfPint June 28, 2019
Have you tried adding blackberries or blueberries? When I add blueberries or blackberries to cake batter, the batter turns a purplish/grayish color.
 
Lucy K.
Lucy K. August 4, 2019
I have tried the blueberries yes, prunes, plumbs, jellies, james, syrups.. blackberries have a very distinct taste..but I'll look into doing something with that, if anything I'll boil them in milk and see what I end up with thank you!
 
Lori T.
Lori T. June 28, 2019
I wonder if your grandmother was using zwetschgen to make her pudding. Those are also called Italian prune plums sometimes. My German grandmother made several desserts using them, one called a zwetschendatschi - which is a sort of plum cake or tart mix. But she also made a sort of bread pudding with them as well, especially if they were very ripe. She would cook them down to a mush, and layer it in with the bread. It also turned a purple/gray color when it was done. As far as how dense it turns out, that depends on the type of bread and how many eggs are in the custard. Here in the states it's not easy to find fresh prune plums, and when you do it will be in the fall. If you wanted to try it before then, you would have to rehydrate prunes, which is what the fresh ones become when dried. Regular fresh plums might also work, but to me they don't taste quite the same. Hope this helps you some.
 
Lucy K.
Lucy K. August 4, 2019
Thank you for this information :) I did some googling.. I dont think she would have had access to this kind of ingredient 45 years ago.. but I'm still looking thank you!
I know that my other relatives used to make up their own recipes but making bread pudding should not be this hard lol.
 
Lori T.
Lori T. August 4, 2019
They have been canning plums for ages- and I'm more than 45 years old now, so I'm fairly certain she would have had. My mom used to make bread and cake using baby food plums, as did I when Gerber still made them. The Oregon fruit company still puts them out as well, and what I use during winter to make dumplings and other goodies. They have been in business since the 40's I think. It would not be that difficult to make with a fruit puree, since you could use it in part to replace some of the milk you would need. It's the eggs that determine how firm it sets up. If you make a basic custard with a fruit base, that will do just fine. As far as how difficult it is, recreating memories sometimes is- but when you succeed it is always worth the trouble.
 
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