Vegetarian Recipe: Vietnamese Bread Pudding

Every week on the Good Food Blog we celebrate Meatless Monday by sharing a vegetarian recipe from our archives.

Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid are the authors of Home Baking: The Artful Mix of Flour and Tradition Around the World, published by Artisan. They first shared this recipe for Vietnamese Bread Pudding on December 27, 2003.

Keep reading for the full recipe…

Vietnamese Bread Pudding

Makes about 1 moist loaf, rich with coconut milk and sweet with bananas and sugar. Once cooled, this pudding slices beautifully. If you are serving it as a dessert, top the slice of pudding, if you wish, with lemon or mango sorbet.

• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk (canned or fresh)

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

• 2 Tablespoons palm sugar, or 1 tablespoon each maple sugar and light brown sugar

• 10 – 12 slices fresh or stale Vietnamese Minibaguettes, or 8 – 10 slices white or light whole wheat loaf bread, toasted until golden

• 5 ripe bananas, 4 mashed, 1 sliced crosswise into 1/2 inch medallions

• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil or butter an 8″ x 4″ inch bread pan.

Place the coconut milk in a heavy wide pot and heat until warm. Add the cinnamon and palm sugar and stir to dissolve. Remove from the heat. Tear the bread or toast into large chunks and add to the coconut milk, stirring to moisten it completely. Add the mashed bananas and stir to mix well. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Pour the mixture into the loaf pan. Top with the banana medallions and sprinkle on the granulated sugar. Bake for about 1 hour, until golden. Let stand for 10 to 20 minutes to firm up before slicing.