Looking to bake something for a special dinner or occasion, or simply craving a homemade treat? Try this Bread Pudding with Mandarin Crème Anglaise — a perfect blend of sweetness, savoury flavours, and a refreshing citrus twist that your friends and family will love! We’ve added a unique touch with our Korean Jeju Mandarin to give it that extra zing, but don't worry — any orange will do!

The key to a great bread pudding is stale bread, so don’t throw away any leftover or day-old bread. You can easily turn it into a delicious bread pudding! For this recipe, we used leftover croissants generously provided by our friends at Puffs and Peaks. A huge thank you to Puffs and Peaks for helping make this super tasty treat possible! 

Compared to regular breads like baguettes or sandwich loaves, we love how croissants are light and airy as they absorb the custard mixture quickly and add a delicate, slightly crispy edge on top. However, any bread you have on hand will work just fine, depending on your preference, so get creative!

Now you’ll be able to make a restaurant-quality desert right at home with our easy-to-follow recipe. Below are all the ingredients and steps on how to make it!

Ingredients:

Mandarin Crème Anglaise (For Cream Topping):

• 2 Cups (500ml ~ 500g) Whole Milk
• 7 Tablespoons (85g) Sugar
• Pinch of Salt
• 3 Medium Oranges OR 6-7 Small Korean Jeju Mandarin
• 6 Large Egg Yolks
• Additional Orange Zest
• 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon Powder
• 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

Bread Pudding Base:

• 2 Cups (500ml ~ 500g) Whole Milk
• 4 Whole Eggs + 2 Egg Yolks
• 100g of Sugar
• 10g of Butter
• ¼ Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
• A Dash of Cinnamon
• 3 Cups of Bread of Choice
• ⅓ Cup of Fruit of Choice

How to make the Mandarin Crème Anglaise:

We recommend starting by making the cream, as the orange zest needs 1 hour to steep and infuse into the milk.

Step 1: Pour the milk into a medium saucepan and add the sugar and salt.

Step 2: Grate the zest of the oranges directly into the milk. Heat on low to medium heat until milk starts lightly bubbling at the edges of the pot.

Step 3: Remove from heat and cover with a piece of cling wrap to prevent a layer from forming at the top.

Step 4: Let the milk steep for one hour to fully infuse with the orange zest.

Step 5: To cook the custard, start by prepping an ice bath by putting ice cubes and a small amount of cold water into a large bowl and resting a smaller metal or glass bowl in the ice. Set a fine mesh strainer over the top.

Step 6: Separate yolks from white. Whisk the yolks in a separate small bowl.

Step 7: Gently rewarm the milk. Temper the whisked egg yolks by pouring a small amount of warm milk into them and mixing. Gradually add more milk until the yolk mixture is warmed.

• Tempering prevents the egg from scrambling as you add it into warm/hot milk

• Important tips: Be sure to keep the heat on the lowest setting to prevent overcooking the custard and ruining its texture!

Step 8: Once done, add the yolk mixture back into the pot of milk and heat on low heat. Do not stop whisking until the custard starts to thicken.

Step 9: Once the custard is thickened, check to see if it coats the back of a spoon.

• To do so, dip a spoon into the custard and flip over. Run your finger through, and the line should stay without running

Step 10: Immediately strain the custard into the bowl set over ice, pressing the zest in the strainer to extract as much flavour as possible, then discard.

Step 11: Stir the Crème until cool. When the crème anglaise is cooling, grate a few swipes of fresh orange zest into the custard, which looks nice and adds a touch more orange flavour.

Step 12: Set aside for topping once bread pudding is done

 

How to Make the Bread Pudding 

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 165ºC

Step 2: Cut your bread of choice into bite sized pieces. Stale bread works the best for this recipe 

• but if all you have is fresh, simply toast the pieces in the oven. Once done, set aside.

Step 3: In a pot, add 480g of fresh milk, 100g of sugar, 10g of butter.

Step 4: Gently heat up the milk.

Step 5: In another bowl, whisk 4 whole eggs + 2 egg yolks.

Step 6: Temper the whisked egg yolks by pouring a small amount of warm milk into them and mixing.

Step 7: Gradually add more milk until the yolk mixture is warmed. Pour the yolk mixture back into the pot of milk. Whisk constantly, combine the eggs and milk.

Step 8: Once done, add the cinnamon and vanilla essence, stir until well combined.

Step 9: Pour the mixture in with the bread cubes and fruit, mix well.

Step 10: Butter a baking dish and pour the bread mixture into a buttered baking dish. Let it rest for 15 minutes to allow the bread to soak up the pudding mixture.

Step 11: Bake until the custard is firm, or until a knife comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

Step 12: Serve warm with a generous drizzle of crème anglaise.

Ready to try and bake this yourself? Don’t forget to share with us your baking creations or any recipes you made using our seasonal Korean Jeju Mandarins! For even more guidance, check out our step-by-step tutorial video here.