Vegan Bread Pudding

Josh Allen looked concerned. I had just told the owner and founder of Companion Bread I was developing a recipe for a vegan bread pudding. “So no eggs? But how will you make the custard without eggs?” he asked.

We were sitting in the break room at Companion’s bread factory in South City because I have a not-so-secret crush on Companion’s fresh baguettes. They’re made from just flour, water, yeast and salt – yet the application of heat creates a crazy alchemy that turns the simple ingredients into delicious loaves. And they’re vegan, although, as Allen noted, the custard that transforms bread into bread pudding certainly isn’t. I told Allen I’d solve the egg problem as I went along, which only made his brow furrow deeper. I suppose when you’re baking around 7,500 loaves of bread daily, “winging it” is not part of your scientific process.

Instead of my beloved baguettes, Allen suggested I use Companion’s pain de Beaucaire. It’s made from the same ingredients as the baguette, but baked into a larger loaf. Allen explained that Beaucaire’s crust-to-crumb ratio meant more bread to soak up the custard. And to encourage that soaking, I could make the bread stale by leaving it out overnight or heating it in a low oven for 30 minutes. “Stale-ing is just moisture migration,” Allen told me, which is a line I’m using the next time my kids complain about chewy Goldfish crackers.

Now to solve the eggless custard puzzle. Canned coconut milk is the hero of my recent vegan baking adventures. It’s naturally sweet with a generous fat content that makes vegan food taste luscious. I heated two cans of the magic milk, stirred in some vegan margarine and sugar and added cocoa, because coconut and chocolate go together like bread and comfort. I tossed the bread cubes in the coconut milk mixture and baked it for an hour. The result was a rich, fudgy brick. It tasted divinely chocolaty, but the fat from two cans of coconut milk felt heavy. And even though I had carefully migrated the moisture from my pain de Beaucaire, the custard barely soaked in, resulting in bread cubes that were a little gooey and a lot crunchy.

For my second try, I substituted a cup of lighter, unsweetened coconut milk for one can of full-fat coconut milk. I also let the custard soak into the bread before I baked it and reduced the cooking time so the final dish wouldn’t scorch. Eureka! This bread pudding was still rich and fudgy, but I could eat more than a bite without a tummy ache. Indeed, once I added a lemony coconut glaze, I ate a lot of bites. My trial-and-error baking method may not earn me a place in Allen’s bakery, but the result of this egg-free experiment was a dessert oozing with deliciousness.

Fudgy Vegan Bread Pudding with Coconut Glaze

10 to 12 servings

12 Tbsp. vegan margarine such as Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks, divided, plus extra for greasing
1 loaf stale Companion pain de Beaucaire or other stale French bâtard-style bread
1 13.5-oz. can full-fat coconut milk
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2½ cups sugar, divided
1 cup premium unsweetened baking cocoa powder, such as Ghirardelli
3 Tbsp. cornstarch, divided
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups water
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
¼ cup shredded coconut

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish with vegan margarine.
• Using a serrated knife, cut the crust off the bread and discard. Cut the remaining loaf into 1-inch cubes (There will be about 6 cups cubed bread.) and place them in the prepared baking dish.
• In a large pot, whisk together the coconut milks. Over medium heat, bring the milk to a simmer, then whisk in 8 tablespoons vegan margarine, 1½ cups sugar, the cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon cornstarch and the salt. Continue to whisk until the ingredients are well combined and no lumps remain. Cook the mixture 2 to 3 minutes, until thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
• Pour the mixture over the bread cubes, stirring to coat the pieces evenly. Let soak 20 minutes, then bake 40 minutes. Allow the bread pudding to rest 10 minutes before serving.
• Meanwhile, prepare the glaze: In a small pot over medium-high heat, combine the remaining 1 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Whisk in the water and stir to dissolve the sugar and cornstarch. Bring to a boil, then cook 1 minute longer, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and whisk in the remaining 4 tablespoons margarine, the lemon juice and the coconut. Stir until the margarine melts. Cover to keep warm until ready to serve.
• To serve, spoon the bread pudding into bowls and top each serving with ¼ cup coconut glaze. Serve warm.