Bread Pudding Is The Pressure Cooker Breakfast You Want To Make

As we recently discovered, some things (pancakes) just aren’t meant to be pressure cooked. But a warm, sweet and doughnut-like breakfast bread pudding? That does quite well.

Why am I calling it “bread pudding” and not “French toast casserole?” I suppose either name would work, but this doesn’t have the crisp edges I associate with the latter. (If you really want them, you can pop this under a broiler for a few minutes, but I like the doughy, steamed pudding-like quality this has without it.)

No matter what you call it, this thing fulfils my need for a lazy Sunday breakfast I can prep, throw in the cooker, then crawl back into bed with a cup of coffee and forget about for a bit. I have two versions: a simple and sweet situation with classic French toast flavours and a hint of orange liqueur, and a bacon-studded, whiskey-fortified creation for those who need salty with their saccharine. Both make 3-4 servings, depending on your appetite. To make the first one, you will need:

• 1/2 loaf of challah bread, cut into 3cm cubes

• 2 eggs

• 3/4 cup whole milk

• 2 tablespoons white sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 2 tablespoons orange liqueur

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• Butter for greasing

Beat the eggs until the whites and yolks are combined, then beat in the milk to form as homogenous of a mixture as you can. Mix in the sugar and cinnamon. Grease a Pyrex or small cake pan (anything that is pressure-cooker safe and will fit into your cooker is fine), add the cubes to your vessel, and pour the egg and milk mixture over the bread cubes, pressing them down so every little cube is submerged.

Combine the liqueur and brown sugar in a microwave-safe bowl or mug, and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between each interval, until you have a bubbling syrup. Pour the syrup over the custard-soaked bread.

Add two cups of water to your pressure cooker insert, and place a heat mat down in there. Cover your breakfast pudding with foil, and set it on the trivet. Close the cooker, make sure the release valve is set to “sealing” or an equivalent setting and cook on high pressure for 40 minutes. Once the cooking time has elapsed, release the pressure manually, (carefully) remove the pudding and serve hot with powdered sugar, maple syrup, or both.

This bready breakfast treat is easy (and delicious) enough, but if you want to get next level with your morning pudding, I suggest you add my two main B’s: bacon and booze. To make this slightly more involved morning meal, you will need:

• 1/2 loaf of challah bread, cut into 3cm cubes

• 2 eggs

• 3/4 cup whole milk

• 2 tablespoons white sugar

• 6 strips of bacon, cut into 3cm pieces

• 1/4 cup whiskey

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

Beat the eggs until the whites and yolks are combined, then beat in the milk to form as homogenous of a mixture as you can. Mix in the sugar. In a medium bowl, combine your bread with the custard, pressing it down so each little cube is submerged. While that soaks, place your bacon in your pressure cooker and turn it on by pressing the “Sauté” function or equivalent setting, adjusting it to make sure it’s set to “normal”. Cook the bacon until it is super crispy, then remove it with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat behind.

Turn off the pressure cooker (it will stay plenty hot), add the whiskey and scrape all the burnt bacony goodness up with a wooden spoon. Add the brown sugar and stir it around until you have a thick, syrupy sauce. (Most of the alcohol should evaporate, but you just want to get rid of any harsh bite.) Scrape the sauce into a little bowl or coffee mug or whatever you have that will safely hold hot whiskey sauce, rinse the insert, and pour in two cups of water.

Grease a Pyrex or small cake pan with butter, add half of your custardy bread mixture to it, and top that with half of your reserved bacon and half of the whiskey syrup. Repeat this delicious process. Place a heat mat down in your pressure cooker insert, cover your breakfast pudding with foil, and set it on the heat mat.

Close the cooker, make sure the release valve is set to “sealing” or an equivalent setting and cook on high pressure for 40 minutes. Once the cooking time has elapsed, release the pressure manually, (carefully) remove the pudding and serve hot. You can add maple syrup if you need to, but all this thing really needs is a pat of good butter and cup of strong coffee. I’m not saying you have to add whiskey to your coffee as well, but I am saying I endorse the practice.