This is a title that grabs you and makes you want to read more 😉
We have been making numerous trips to Havelock and Campbellford this summer to deal with Dad’s Estate. Not exactly how we had planned to spend our summer, but it has allowed us to see Cherie, Dwayne and Sam more than we normally do over the summer. So that is a definite plus!
One weekend after we had finished up at the farm, we all went to Campbellford to grab something to eat. We found a great local restaurant – Apollo’s Pizzeria, which wasn’t there when we lived in the area, but served up an amazing pizza and delicious garlic bread. After our lunch, we walked around before heading off in our separate directions and wandered into a Campbellford tradition, Dooher’s. This bake shop has been around longer than I have (it opened in 1955). My favourite Dooher’s bake shop item is a fresh, delicious doughnut. I have many fond memories of these doughnuts. So good!!
When we walked into the bakery, the smell of fresh baked goodness hit us immediately. However, I was on the lookout for doughnuts. I wanted Jamie and I to bring a few back to Ottawa. You can only imagine my shock and disappointment when I saw all the doughnut shelves empty. Oh No!! 😦
I was instantly relieved when I saw that the doughnuts had been packaged up into one dozen boxes. Phew. Well, this turned out to be a bonus, as the bake shop wasn’t open on Sunday, so late Saturday afternoon they were selling of their tasty wares at a discount.
Jamie and I grabbed a dozen as did Cherie and Dwayne. We said our good-byes, and headed back home.
When we walked into our apartment, we immediately opened up our box of baked treats. To our surprise, there weren’t a dozen doughnuts in the box, but eighteen! 18 doughnuts for less than the cost of a dozen? You can only imagine the smile on my face 🙂 🙂 🙂
Needless to say, we packaged up the doughnuts into pairs and put them in the freezer. As delicious as they are, we didn’t need to eat 18 doughnuts, although a part of me really wanted to try 😉
Now that you have the back-story, let’s get to the Doughnut Pudding.
With a freezer full of frozen doughnuts, Jamie got the great idea to turn these yeasty treats into bread pudding. I know! He definitely gets points for creativity!
He selected doughnuts that would complement traditional bread pudding: Maple Walnut, Dutchies and Apple Fritters.
He proceeded to use these doughnuts just as you would bread. Genius!
Delicious!
After tasting the decadent treat, I am constantly on the look-out for local bakeries that sell their day-olds for a steal. Who knows what treat will make its way into our next bread pudding experiment?
Have you ever made a traditional dish out of a non-traditional ingredient? I would love to hear about your creations!
Adapted from:
allrecipes.ca
Doughnut Bread Pudding
Ingredients:
- 8 doughnuts
- 4-6 dates, diced
- 4 eggs
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 can evaporated milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 1/4 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Lightly grease a 9 x 9 glass baking dish.
- Tear the doughnuts into bite-size pieces. Combine doughnut pieces and dates in the prepared baking dish. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to blend together the eggs, coconut milk, evaporated milk, vanilla extract and almond extract. Mix in the cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour the milk mixture over the doughnuts in the dish, and press down lightly to help absorption. Let stand for 15 minutes, or cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Place the baking dish inside a larger baking dish, and fill the outer dish with enough water to go about halfway up the sides. A dishcloth may also be placed under the bread dish, to prevent drying. Similar to cooking crème brulée.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve warm or cold.
- Delicious, decadent and perfect for Sunday Brunch!
Ruby Reduction 