Ham-and-Cheese Brioche Pudding

By David Tanis

Published May 8, 2018

  • Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1½ hours
Rating
4(1,077)
Comments
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Bread pudding, an old-fashioned frugal dessert, usually contains day-old bread, milk, eggs and a bit of fruit, fresh or dried, baked in a sweet custard. This savory version, made with ham and cheese, employs tender buttery brioche. It is easier to make than a quiche, but has a similar delicacy, perfect for lunch or a light supper.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

  • 1 tablespoon butter, for greasing the pan

  • 1 (12-ounce) brioche loaf or smaller brioches, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 8 cups)

  • 6 eggs

  • 4 cups half-and-half or whole milk

  • 2 teaspoons salt

  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

  • Pinch of nutmeg

  • Pinch of cayenne

  • ½ cup thinly sliced scallions

  • 6 ounces thinly sliced ham, cut crosswise into matchsticks (about 1 ½ cups)

  • 8 ounces grated Gouda or Gruyère cheese (about 4 cups)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

36 grams carbs; 363 milligrams cholesterol; 866 calories; 19 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 32 grams saturated fat; 59 grams fat; 1 gram trans fat; 2 grams fiber; 1236 milligrams sodium; 47 grams protein; 9 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter an 11-by-11-inch baking dish. Fill dish with brioche cubes and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    In a large bowl, beat eggs well. Whisk in half-and-half, salt, pepper, nutmeg, cayenne and scallions. Pour mixture over cubes in baking dish.

  3. Step 3

    Sprinkle ham and cheese on top of mixture, and press down to make sure everything is submerged. Set baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet.

  4. Step 4

    Transfer baking dish and baking sheet to the middle shelf of the oven, and bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the dish emerges dry. Let rest for 10 minutes or so before serving.

Tip

  • If desired, let pudding cool completely and cut into squares or wedges. Then reheat for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,077 user ratings
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Comments

Lori

Adjusting strata to any dish size: 1 part milk + 1 part eggs + 1 part cheese + 1 part add-ins (optional) + 2 parts bread

Kevin Osinski

11 x 11 = 121 square inches; a 9 x 13 pan is 117 sq in. Seems like a reasonable substitute.

Dean

It would be nice if recipes called for standard size baking dishes - 8x8, 9x9, 9x11, 9x13, and so on. Who had 11x11? I've never heard of it.

Susan Kessler

If I make this again, I'll chop the ham into bite size pieces instead of thin slices.

Darrin

The brioche really adds to the flavor of this dish. Used 2 cups half/half and 2 cups whole milk. Used prosciutto instead of ham. In addition to the gruyere I added some freshly grated parmesan cheese. Served it for several friends. It was great and my friends loved it. I will definitely make this one again.

Chere

Made this last night and baked today. I did use salt, but used Diamond Crystal kosher, and it was not too salty. Next time I would cover this for part of the time. The cheese was quite crusty and brown. I did put the cold pan from the frig into the cold oven, baked on convection at 350 and was perfect in about 1 hour.

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