Shared by Abi Kaufman
Shared by Abi Kaufman
Challah Bread and Butter Pudding with Halva
Yield: 10-12 servingsTime: 20 min + 30 min inactive
Challah Bread and Butter Pudding with Halva
Yield: 10-12 servingsTime: 20 min + 30 min inactiveFamily Journey
LondonHod Hasharon, IsraelZagreb, Croatia
AmsterdamLondon
When Abi Kaufman was growing up in Israel, her English-born grandmother Joan made lemon meringue pie and British sweets like Victoria sponge cake and bread and butter pudding. “My grandma always shined through the puddings,” Abi says, referencing a British style of dessert.
When Abi moved with her parents to Croatia when she was 12, her mother Naomi started baking challah every week. And when Abi began working in London as a young chef, she used her recipe to make her own version of bread and butter pudding with halva, in a nod to her Israeli roots. The recipe is a “sweet marriage,” Abi says, of her family’s past and her present.
Read more about Abi’s family in "Chef Abi Kaufman Won’t Serve This Dessert to Just Anyone."
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 grams) stale challah
- 300 ml heavy cream
- 300ml whole milk
- a pinch of salt
- 4 medium eggs
- 3 tablespoons caster sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- zest of 1 lemon
- 50 grams butter, melted
- 100 gram plain halva, crumbled into small pieces
- 3 tablespoons natural brown sugar
- Heavy cream for serving
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 355 degrees F.
Step 2
Make the custard: In a small pot, whisk the heavy cream, milk, and salt over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, then immediately remove from the heat and set aside to slightly cool. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and caster sugar. Temper the two mixtures by gradually pouring the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Once combined with no sign of scrambling, add the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
Step 3
Assemble the bread pudding: Slice or tear apart the challah. Generously spread melted butter onto each side of the challah slices or pieces. Use the remaining butter to coat your baking dish. Place a few challah pieces on the bottom of the oven dish to create a tight-fitting base and sprinkle with a third of the halva. Spoon a bit of the custard to soak each piece. Lay the remaining challah into the dish, dropping pieces of halva in the crevices. Pour the remainder of the custard over the whole pan and top with the rest of the halva and demerara sugar.
Step 4
Bake for 30 minutes until the bread pudding is golden-brown and the halva has melted. Serve warm with cold heavy cream.
