Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Bread Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Boil the milk with the cinnamon sticks, then strain and let it cool completely.
In a bowl, mix the butter and sugar until well combined.
Add the grated stale bread to the butter and sugar mixture.
Make the custard
Beat the eggs, then stir them into the cooled milk along with the bread mixture and sugar.
Add the grated lemon peel and rose water if using.
Bake and serve
Pour the mixture into a buttered baking dish and grate nutmeg over the top.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) until set, then let it cool before serving.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Lemon + nutmegtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,318 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Bread + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Cinnamon + lemontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,950 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Set the custard as they cook, giving the pudding its structure and body.
- Stale bread
- Soaks up the milk and egg mixture, providing the bulk and soft texture of the pudding.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard, adding moisture and richness.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a tender crumb.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps browning on the surface during baking.
The step that matters
Bake until set, then cool. Baking gently until the egg proteins just set keeps the custard creamy; overbaking makes it dry and grainy as the eggs over-coagulate and squeeze out liquid.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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