Matcha Bread Pudding Baked in a Water Bath
Matcha brioche bread pudding baked in a water bath and served warm in eight portions.
By Roseline Zhou, Founder
Contents
When several brioche slices have dried out, they can become a dessert to share instead of individual French toast. This matcha bread pudding combines 12 oz (340 g) brioche, eggs, milk, cream, and about 12 tsp (24 g) matcha. For eight servings, allow about 2 hours 25 minutes, including gentle baking in a water bath and ten minutes of soaking before it goes into the oven.
Mix the matcha with part of the milk before pouring it over the brioche so the center gets as much tea as the edges. Kura-ge sells Essence for sweet cooking. If you don't have a pan large enough for a water bath, choose a chilled dessert among our matcha desserts.
Ingredients for matcha bread pudding
- 12 oz (340 g) stale brioche
- 3 whole eggs
- 6 egg yolks
- 2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream
- About 1 3/4 cups (420 ml) whole milk, with 1 cup (240 ml) for the custard and 3/4 cup (180 ml) for the matcha
- About 12 tsp (24 g) matcha
- 7 oz (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp (10 ml) food-grade vanilla extract
Make the matcha bread pudding
- Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C).
- Cut the 12 oz (340 g) brioche into cubes about 1 inch (2.5 cm) across.
- Spread the cubes over the two baking sheets.
- Dry them in the oven for 5 minutes at 355°F (180°C).
- Beat the 3 whole eggs and 6 yolks in a large bowl.
- Add the 7 oz (200 g) granulated sugar.
- Whisk until the sugar is distributed.
- Pour in the 2 cups (480 ml) cream and 1 cup (240 ml) milk reserved for the custard.
- Add the 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract.
- Mix the custard until smooth.
- Sift about 12 tsp (24 g) matcha into the second bowl.
- Pour the remaining 3/4 cup (180 ml) milk over the matcha.
- Whisk until no powder clumps remain.
- Stir this green milk into the egg custard.
- Arrange the dried brioche in the deep baking dish.
- Pour the matcha custard over the brioche cubes.
- Press the cubes gently to soak them.
- Let them soak for 10 minutes.
- Place the deep dish inside the larger pan for the water bath.
- Pour hot water into the larger pan to about 3/4 inch (2 cm) around the pudding.
- Cover the pudding with aluminum foil without letting it touch the brioche.
- Pierce a few openings in the foil so steam can escape.
- Bake under the foil for 45 minutes at 355°F (180°C).
- Remove the foil.
- Bake for another 45 minutes at 355°F (180°C), until the center is set.
- Take the dish out of the water bath.
- Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Slightly dry brioche absorbs the custard without falling apart completely. The water bath slows the cooking at the edges while the center sets. Check the middle with the tip of a knife: it should come out without liquid custard. If the center still runs, bake for short additional periods and protect the top if it browns too much.
Which matcha for a large brioche pudding?
For this large brioche dish that spends a long time in the oven, we choose our Matcha Essence for baking in the milk and egg custard. About 12 tsp (24 g) is spread over eight servings; a matcha reserved for drinking with water would show little of its detail after this long bake. Check that the powder is well dispersed before pouring in the custard. Wait until the eggs are fully cooked before tasting.
Why does the water bath change the bake?
Here, the custard sets throughout the dish. French toast, by contrast, browns separate slices in a skillet and doesn't form this creamy center. Let the pudding rest for ten minutes after baking: the servings hold together better while still warm.
For a different base without brioche, matcha rice pudding simmers grains in coconut milk instead of going into the oven.
Our tip. After the ten-minute soak, press the brioche cubes that stick out one last time. Their tops will absorb the custard before the covered bake.
Allergens. Wheat, eggs, and milk.
