Recently, Katz generously sent me some items to sample, which thrilled me, because I am a huge fan of their challah bread and rolls. Their bread it soft and slightly sweet and is one of my standbys when buying gluten-free bread. Unfortunately, since I moved from Chicago to Atlanta, I have not had as much luck finding Katz products, so it made this package even more of a treat.
All of Katz products are kosher, and made in a dedicated gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free facility.
From the lovely box of samples sent to me, my favorite is the challah bread. I figured I could do something simple with it like make sandwiches for my daughter, but instead I really wanted to highlight the flavor of the bread and fully enjoy it. I decided to use it for a bread pudding and test it on guests at a dinner party we were hosting.
This is an extremely simple recipe, but tastes elegant, and no one would be able to guess the gluten was missing. The deliciousness is in the custard and the bread. Please note the custard uses egg yolks, but do not discard the egg whites as they will be used in the final pudding.
We first start with the custard, which takes some attention so that you don’t end up with scrambled eggs for your dessert, but it is pretty easy and quick. Our dinner guests, who were gluten-able, quickly had seconds and gave it an immediate thumbs up!
Gluten-free bread pudding
Custard
2 cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
Pudding
1 loaf of Katz challah bread, or a 3/4 pound of your favorite gluten-free bread, cut into bite-size cubes
4 egg whites
1. Preheat the oven to 425’F;
2. Set a bowl next to the stove, set in a pan or larger bowl of ice cold water. Be sure it is steady and will not tip over. You need this bowl to be ice cold to stop the custard from cooking once it is off the stove;
3. In a saucepan, combine the half-and-half with the vanilla over medium-low heat until bubbles start to form around the edges, about 5 min;
4. Meanwhile, in a another bowl, mix the egg yolks and sugar until just combined;
5. Slowly whisk in half of the hot mixture into the yolks, and then pour that into the saucepan with the remaining hot liquid and stir constantly until it thickens, about 5 minutes, over medium heat with wooden spoon or silicon scrapper. Immediately place in the bowl, which is in the cold water bath, to chill and stop cooking.
6. In a separate, large bowl, whisk the egg whites until they start to stiffen, and fold the custard into the whites;
7. Add the bite-size challah, stirring and mashing until the bread is completely soaked, let sit for 5 minutes;
8. Pour mixture into baking dish, and bake for about 15 minutes, until firm and slightly browned.
This tastes great served with fresh fruit to balance the richness of the bread pudding. Ice cream can also be served on the side for an even more decadent treat.
For more on Katz, read more reviews from celiac-disease.com here and here.
