Leek Bread Pudding: Putting Stale Bread to Good Use

From Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home comes this holiday side dish or hearty lunch. 

This is bread pudding as it should be: simple and rich. It features leeks and chives, those underappreciated relatives of the glorious onion. Certainly not a health food. But a slice or two accompanied by a bitter green salad (to cut through the richness of the pudding) hits the spot on a cold winter's day. 

Since its early origins, bread pudding has helped cooks use up stale bread. Sweet or savory, this tried and true method has stayed the same for centuries: bread cubes soaked in a custardy bath of eggs and milk. Keller's version takes a little over an hour to bake but prep is fairly easy.

You will need to own or buy:

• 5 cups sliced leeks (about 2 large leeks)
• Kosher salt
• 4 Tbs. unsalted butter
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 12 cups 1-inch cubes of crustless brioche or pullman bread. (I used brioche hamburger buns and left some of the crusts on.)
• 1 Tbs. chopped chives
• 1 tsp. thyme leaves
• 3 large eggs
• 3 cups whole milk (use low fat if you prefer)
• 3 cups heavy cream (use half and half if you prefer)
• freshly grated nutmeg 
• 1 cup grated Comté or Emmenthaler

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place sliced leeks in a large bowl filled with water and swish around to remove grit. 


Warm a large skillet over medium-high heat and add drained leeks. Season with Kosher salt and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure that leeks don't stick to skillet. As leeks begin to soften, lower heat to medium-low. Stir in butter to emulsify and season with pepper to taste. Cover pan with a piece of parchment paper and cook for 30 minutes, until leeks are very soft.

Meanwhile, toast bread cubes in a baking sheet in the oven, until golden brown. About 10 minutes. Rotate pan halfway through. Transfer bread cubes to a large bowl.






Add leeks to bread. Then add chives and stir well to incorporate. Add thyme and stir.

In another large bowl, lightly whisk 3 eggs. Whisk in milk and cream. Add a generous pinch of salt, pepper to taste, and a generous pinch of nutmeg.

Sprinkle half the cheese (1/2 cup) on bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Add half the leek and bread cube mixture on top. Pour enough custard mixture to cover the bread and press gently with the back of a spoon. Allow to sit and soak for 10 minutes so that bread absorbs liquid. Then add remaining bread and custard mixture. Top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and a sprinkle of salt.

Bake for 60-75 minutes, until pudding looks set and top is brown and bubbling.