Savory Bread Pudding

Author Notes

I love savory breakfasts, and often make twists on traditionally sweet recipes for breakfast (like cheddar-leek-bacon waffles.) This was born from some leftover ham and boredom one Sunday morning. The heavy cream gives it a hint of creme brulee texture, but of course you can make it with something lighter like 2% milk. —kamileon

Test Kitchen Notes

Just think of this as strata gone wild. Kamileon has concocted a rich, custardy bread pudding containing everything but the kitchen sink that somehow doesn’t feel overwrought. A couple of details really make this dish stand out. First, you toast the bread cubes before combining them with the rest of the ingredients, which ensures a crunchy top layer. Second, you add raw, chopped shallot, which mellows slightly in the oven but still retains a nice, subtle kick. Prosciutto, goat cheese and parmesan make any additional salt gratuitous, while sliced mushrooms and copious amounts of fresh thyme give the bread pudding some depth. We found that mixing the dry ingredients in a large bowl before putting them in the baking dish helped prevent spillover, and our bread pudding spent a mere 25 minutes in the oven. If you poke it in the center, and it bounces back, you know it’s set! – A&M —The Editors