Wintry Corn Bread Pudding Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Cast Iron

by: hardlikearmour

November19,2012

4.8

4 Ratings

  • Serves 6-8

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

This is based on an Alton Brown recipe for Sweet Corn Bread Pudding. The original uses stale bread cubes, creamed corn, and a cornmeal-parmesan custard to create a savory amalgam of bread pudding and cornbread with a little spoon bread thrown in for good measure. It is comfort food, and I've served it as a vegetarian substitute for dressing at Thanksgiving in past years. This time I infused the recipe with one of my favorite fall flavor combinations: winter squash, leeks, and Gruyère. I first tried the combo in a recipe from the Fields of Greens cookbook for a pastry turnover, and was immediately smitten. I used frozen winter squash purée, but by all means substitute with homemade if you've got it. Use any dry bread you've got, just remove thick crusts as they don't soften up well. —hardlikearmour

Test Kitchen Notes

WHO: hardlikearmour is a Pacific Northwest-based cook, cake decorator, and veterinarian.
WHAT: A comforting, vegetarian side that will stick to your ribs in the best way.
HOW: After the leeks are nice and slouchy, it's just a quick mix of the base and in the oven it goes.
WHY WE LOVE IT: This corn bread pudding ingeniously uses yeasted bread in place of cornbread, gleaning its classic flavor from cornmeal folded into the mix. It's a smart move: the sturdier bread cubes hold up well during cooking, which creates a nice texture and crumb in the final dish. —The Editors

  • Test Kitchen-Approved
  • Your Best Stale Bread Contest Finalist

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • 1 10-ounce package frozen winter squash purée, thawed (or substitute 1 cup homemade)
  • 1 1/4 cupshalf-and-half
  • 2 large eggs. beaten
  • 1/2 cupstone ground yellow cornmeal
  • 1 1/8 teaspoonskosher salt, divided
  • 1 teaspoonbaking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoonAleppo pepper (or 1/8 teaspoon cayenne)
  • 1/2 cupGruyère cheese, shredded
  • 1 large leek. washed and thinly sliced crosswise (about 1 1/4 cups)
  • 3 tablespoonsunsalted butter, divided
  • 1 tablespoonfresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
  • 2 cupsdry bread cubes (or irregular chunks), thick crust removed
Directions
  1. Heat oven to 350º F with a rack near the middle.
  2. Combine winter squash, half-and-half, and eggs in a small bowl or large glass measure. Set aside. Combine cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, baking powder, black pepper, aleppo or cayenne pepper, and Gruyère in a large bowl. Set aside.
  3. Heat half of the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once the foaming has subsided, add the leek slices and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cook until soft and just starting to brown, stirring occasionally. Add the thyme and cook until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. When leeks are almost done, add the squash mixture to the cornmeal mixture. Scrape the leeks into the squash and cornmeal mixture (it's okay if there are a few stragglers left in the pan).
  4. Add remaining butter to the skillet and return the skillet to medium-low heat.
  5. Stir together the leek, squash, and cormeal mixture until combined. Fold in the bread cubes, and adjust salt to taste. Pour into the skillet. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until puffed and golden brown, about 45 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Tags:

  • Pudding
  • American
  • Grains
  • Corn
  • Cornmeal
  • Leek
  • Thyme
  • Cast Iron
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Thanksgiving
  • Vegetarian
Contest Entries
  • Your Best Stale Bread

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Mae

  • Amybeth Hurst

  • Meatballs&Milkshakes

  • EmilyC

  • TheWimpyVegetarian

Recipe by: hardlikearmour

I am an amateur baker and cake decorator. I enjoy cooking, as well as eating and feeding others. I live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with my husband and our menagerie. I enjoy outdoor activities including hiking, mushroom hunting, tide pooling, beach combing, and snowboarding.

Popular on Food52

23 Reviews

Mae April 5, 2019

I made my own vegan version of this today, and it is delicious! I thought I'd share in case anyone is curious about substitutions. I didn't have winter squash on hand (though I'm sure that would have been fabulous!) so I used okara, which is soy bean pulp leftover over from making soy milk. I omitted the cheese, used cashew cream instead of half and half, and combined ground flaxseeds with water in place of the eggs (makes a thick and gooey liquid good for holding baked goods together.) Topped it off with some leftover homemade gravy. Delicious! Thanks for sharing this recipe, hardlikearmour!

Michelle January 3, 2017

Made this to go alongside some grass fed strip steaks last night. I made as written using home roasted carnival squash and stale sourdough bread cubes. It was amazing. I think I will use it instead of stuffing at thanksgiving this year.

Amybeth H. November 25, 2014

I am going to make this for certain! Thank you! Amybeth Hurst, Portland, ME

ValerieE November 2, 2013

Made this for dinner last night, and it was great. I used sweet potato puree since that's what I had on hand, and I subbed buttermilk for the half and half so that it wasn't quite as rich. It worked out extremely well!

December 11, 2012

Congrats on being a finalist, it looks delicious!

EmilyC December 10, 2012

Made this for dinner last night and it was a HUGE hit! The combination of flavors here is spot on and really lovely -- and you're absolutely right about it being a cornbread/bread pudding/spoon bread all rolled into one. It's really, really good. I'll let my bread go stale just to make it.

hardlikearmour December 10, 2012

Happy, happy, happy! Nothing is better than having someone make a recipe, and have it be a success.

TheWimpyVegetarian December 10, 2012

This looks fantastic!!! Huge, gigantic congrats to you for being a finalist!!!

meganvt01 December 9, 2012

This is brilliant! It will be making its way to our holiday table. Congrats!

fiveandspice December 7, 2012

Congrats HLA! This looks phenomenal! I think I want it for my weekend breakfast.

Kukla December 6, 2012

Congratulations on the finalist nomination! Your pudding sounds very very yummy.

darksideofthespoon December 6, 2012

This looks amazing! I have a big bowl of stale bread cubes waiting to go into this. I can't wait to make it!

hardlikearmour December 6, 2012

I'm thrilled you are going to make it! Let me know how it turns out.

hardlikearmour December 6, 2012

Thank you all! I'm definitely doing a little happy dance today!

drbabs December 6, 2012

Congratulations, HLA! This sounds wonderful!

inpatskitchen December 6, 2012

Congratulations! Lovely recipe!

dymnyno December 6, 2012

Congrats on another fabulous recipe!

mrslarkin December 6, 2012

Yay hla! Congrats. This sounds very delicious!

AntoniaJames December 6, 2012

This looks outrageously delicious. Congrats!! ;o)

EmilyC December 6, 2012

Big congrats on being a finalist! This looks amazing...it's going on the menu for Sunday dinner!

hardlikearmour December 6, 2012

Yay! I hope you'll let me know how it turns out!

lorigoldsby November 26, 2012

Do you think you could use leftover corn bread instead of the regular bread?

hardlikearmour November 26, 2012

I don't think it would hold up the way yeast bread does, but it would probably be tasty!

Wintry Corn Bread Pudding Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between cornbread and corn pudding? ›

While cornbread has an almost cake-like texture, corn pudding is much lighter and has more of a soufflé texture. They both taste delicious, but you may find that corn pudding is even richer.

Why is it called bread pudding? ›

' If you're wondering why it is called a pudding, it's because this dish includes a cereal base (the bread) and has a soft and spongy consistency after baking.

Is cornbread a dessert or side dish? ›

It is still a common side dish for many suppers, often served with butter. Cornbread crumbs are also used in some poultry stuffings or dressing as it is called; cornbread stuffing is particularly associated with Thanksgiving turkeys.

What is bread and butter pudding made of? ›

Bread and butter pudding is a traditional bread pudding in British cuisine. Slices of buttered bread scattered with raisins are layered in an oven dish, covered with an egg custard mixture seasoned with nutmeg, vanilla, or other spices, then baked.

What do you eat with corn pudding? ›

There should be a perfect savory-sweet balance, with a buttery aftertaste. Good corn pudding is a brilliant complement to roast turkey, baked ham, and even roast beef! From Sommer Collier of A Spicy Perspective.

Why is my corn pudding watery? ›

If your corn pudding is runny, try adding a little extra cornstarch. If you don't have any cornstarch on hand, you can substitute it with flour or arrowroot powder. You'll need some type of thickening agent otherwise, your corn pudding will wind up watery.

Why is it called poor mans pudding? ›

Originating in Quebec, during the Great Depression, pouding chomeur is good old-fashioned comfort food. As the name suggests, it was popular with the poor chômeurs (unemployed) due to its relatively inexpensive and readily available ingredients.

Are you supposed to eat bread pudding hot or cold? ›

Bread pudding can be served warm, room temperature, cold. If you'd rather have it warm or room temperature, skip the 6 hour refrigeration time. The orange custard sauce can also be served warm over warm bread pudding.

Why is it called black pudding? ›

Well, black pudding is made mainly from pigs blood cereal, fat, herbs and spices.. It's called black pudding because it's black. We also have white pudding, which doesn't include blood. Both are served at breakfast time along with a fry-up.

What is cornbread called in the South? ›

Both sources confirm that corn pone is cooked in a cast iron skillet, which is also the traditional cooking vessel for Southern cornbread. Cornbread came about as more ingredients were added to the basic corn pone recipe: buttermilk, eggs, and a leavener such as baking soda or baking powder (or both).

What do Southerners eat cornbread with? ›

It is a staple food in many Southern dishes and is often served with meals such as black-eyed peas, collard greens, and fried chicken. It can be made in a variety of ways, including as a savory bread to be served with a meal or as a sweeter bread to be eaten as a snack.

What holiday do you eat cornbread? ›

As we are so close to Thanksgiving, it is only appropriate that our first post should share a traditional Thanksgiving staple: Cornbread! Thanksgiving as we know it today originates from Native American ceremonies in which communities would celebrate the end of a bountiful harvest season.

What is black pudding in food? ›

Black pudding is a distinct regional type of blood sausage originating in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is made from pork or occasionally beef blood, with pork fat or beef suet, and a cereal, usually oatmeal, oat groats, or barley groats.

Should you dry out bread for bread pudding? ›

Making Bread Pudding Is Simple!

Stale bread holds its shape more easily when soaking up the custard mixture. Fresh bread tends to fall apart and turn to mush. If you don't have stale bread, you can heat cubed fresh bread in the oven to dry it out a bit.

What's the difference between cornbread and corn casserole? ›

That made cornbread a popular recipe during the American Civil War when resources were scarce. This is also how grits came into being. Corn casserole is a dish that mixes cornbread with whole kernel corn, sour cream, butter, and cheese, along with some creamed corn to form a new dish that has cornbread as its base.

What is corn pudding made of? ›

Corn pudding is a creamy side made with stewed corn, butter, and milk. It often features a thickening agent, such as cornstarch, to make the dish extra decadent. Corn pudding originated in the American South and can be served all year long, but it's frequently associated with Thanksgiving.

Why do Southerners not put sugar in cornbread? ›

The most common theory is a change in cornmeal itself. Until early in the 20th century, Southern cornmeal was made with sweeter white corn and it was water-ground. When industrial milling came along, that changed. The steel-roller mills used yellow corn that was harvested before it was ripe, so it had less sugar.

Is baked corn the same as corn pudding? ›

Corn casserole and corn pudding are essentially the same thing. However, as the name suggests, corn pudding has a slightly looser texture than corn casserole. Corn casserole is like a moist and creamy version of cornbread, but it's still sturdy enough to hold its shape.

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