006: INSTANT POT BREAD PUDDING

🍞 Instant Pot Bread Pudding — Steam-Custard Comfort

Archetype: The Soft Alchemist — day-old bread reborn as silk: warm spice, creamy custard, and cloud-soft steam from a stainless cauldron.

🥣 What It Is

Bakery-level bread pudding made in the Instant Pot with the pot-in-pot method: the pressure steam turns custard plush (no curdling, no dry edges). Classic cinnamon-raisin base with easy swaps for chocolate, tropical, or sugar-free paths. Ready for brunch or late-night dessert.

🧾 Ingredients (serves 6–8)

• Bread: 10–12 oz (285–340 g) day-old bread, cubed (brioche, challah, French loaf, or GF brioche)
• Custard: 1½ cups whole milk • 1 cup heavy cream (or 2½ cups half-and-half) • 3 large eggs • ⅓–½ cup sugar or allulose/monkfruit (SF) • 2 tsp vanilla • 1–1½ tsp cinnamon • ¼ tsp nutmeg • ¼ tsp fine salt
• Mix-ins (choose 1–2 cups total): ½ cup raisins/currants • ½ cup chopped dates • ½ cup chocolate chips • ¾ cup diced apple or banana • ½ cup toasted pecans/walnuts
• Pan & Pot: 6–7 inch (15–18 cm) round cake pan or soufflé dish that fits your IP • trivet • foil
• IP Water: 1 cup (240 ml) for 6-qt, 1½ cups (360 ml) for 8-qt
• Optional Sauces: warm vanilla custard, bourbon caramel, or SF maple-yogurt drizzle (recipes below)

✍️ Method (IP 35–45 min total)

1. Prep Pan: Grease the 6–7″ pan and line the bottom with a parchment circle. Add trivet to Instant Pot with the required water.
2. Cubed Bread: Cut bread into 1″ cubes. If very fresh, dry on a sheet tray at 300°F (150°C) for 8–10 min to lightly stale.
3. Custard: Whisk milk, cream, eggs, sugar/SF sweetener, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until smooth (no streaks of egg).
4. Soak: In a large bowl, toss bread + mix-ins with custard. Let sit 10–15 min, stirring once so all cubes drink evenly.
5. Pan & Cover: Scrape mixture into the greased pan. Press lightly to level. Cover tightly with foil (domed so it doesn’t touch custard).
6. Pressure Cook: Place pan on trivet. Seal the lid. Cook on High Pressure 25 minutes. Natural Release 10 minutes, then quick release remaining steam.
7. Set & Finish: Uncover. The center should jiggle slightly but not slosh (target ~175–180°F/79–82°C). For a bronzed top, broil 2–3 min (optional) or torch lightly.
8. Rest: Cool 10–15 min for clean slices (or chill 2–3 hrs for sliceable squares). Serve warm with your chosen sauce.

🌿 Maker’s Notes

• Texture control: More custard (add +¼ cup milk) = softer; less custard (-¼ cup) = cakier.
• Dairy-free: Use 2½ cups barista-style oat or coconut milk + 2 tbsp melted coconut oil; add +1 tbsp starch to custard for body.
• Chocolate version: Add 1 tbsp cocoa to custard + ½–1 cup chips; finish with espresso powder pinch.
• Tropical: Swap 1 cup milk for coconut milk; add pineapple tidbits (well-drained) + toasted coconut.
• No soggy bottom: Keep foil tight; ensure correct IP water; use trivet so pan isn’t sitting in water.

🍯 Quick Sauces

• Vanilla Custard (stovetop, 5 min): 1 cup milk, 1 tbsp cornstarch, 2 tbsp sugar/SF, pinch salt; warm, whisk till thick; off heat add 1 tsp vanilla.
• Bourbon Caramel: Warm ½ cup caramel sauce + 1–2 tsp bourbon; pinch salt. (Use SF caramel if needed.)
• SF Maple-Yogurt: ½ cup Greek yogurt + 1–2 tbsp sugar-free maple syrup + vanilla pinch.

📜 Lore / Origin

Born from thrift and comfort, bread pudding traveled from taverns to white-tablecloth dining. Pressure steam brings back its original soul: humble bread, lifted into custard by gentle heat.

🌺 Benefits

• Waste-less cooking: uses day-old bread beautifully
• Instant Pot: even set, no curdle risk, hands-off
• Flexible macros: traditional or sugar-free / dairy-free without losing joy

🧭 Self-Score to 100

• Comfort Factor: 20/20
• Texture: 20/20
• Flavor Balance: 20/20
• Ease & Reliability: 20/20
• Mythic Resonance: 20/20

Total: 100/100 — Custard clouds from a pressure cauldron.