“Pain perdu, literally ‘lost bread,’ usually refers to French toast, bread pudding, or any dish where stale bread is used to soak up liquid and cooked, thus giving it new life (the bread is no longer lost!),” says Giselle Courteau, author of 2020 silver-winning cookbook, Duchess at Home. “In this recipe, the combination of almonds, citrus, and white wine really elevates it and makes it more sophisticated than your standard bread pudding. Don’t worry — the alcohol evaporates during baking, which makes this a suitable dish for adults and children alike.”
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White Wine Pain Perdu
Ingredients
- 200 g 1 cup sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 3 large eggs
- zest of one orange
- 240 g 1 cup white wine
- 75 g ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 5 cups about half a loaf stale French bread, cut into 1- to 2-inch cubes
- 50 g ½ cup sliced almonds
- 50 g ⅓ cup dried currants, raisins, or cranberries
- 35 g ¼ cup crystallized ginger
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter the baking dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, eggs, and orange zest.
- Add the wine and slowly whisk in the butter until well combined.
- Add the bread cubes, sliced almonds, currants, and crystallized ginger and, using your hands, toss to make sure that all the pieces of bread are well coated. Let soak for 10 minutes.
- Pour the mixture into the baking dish and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crispy.
Notes
Ingredient note:
For the wine, I like to use a sauvignon blanc for its acidity, but feel free to use any leftover white wine you might have. For a nicer flavour, steer clear of ‘cooking wine’ and stick with something that you would normally drink.
Serving and Storage:
This bread pudding is best eaten the day it’s made. It will keep at room temperature for up to three days and should be reheated prior to serving.