Published July 1, 1999.
We wanted to find an easy way to make a refreshing summer berry pudding dessert and to discover the best bread for the job. Instead of lining the mold with bread and then filling it with berries, we opted to layer the bread and berries together in a loaf pan; the berries on the outside were like brilliant jewels, while the layers of bread on the inside almost melted into the fruit. We used day-old potato bread in our summer berry pudding recipe, finding that its even, tight-crumbed, tender texture and its light sweetness made a perfect match for the berries (fresh bread became too gummy in the pudding).
Stale the bread for this recipe by leaving it out overnight. Otherwise, put the slices on a rack in a single layer into a 200-degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes, turning them once halfway through. For this recipe, you will need six 6-ounce ramekins and a round cookie cutter of slightly smaller diameter than the ramekins. If you don’t have the right size cutter, use a paring knife and the bottom of a ramekin (most ramekins taper toward the bottom) as a guide for trimming the rounds. If you use challah, the second choice for bread, cut it into ½-inch-thick slices. If neither potato bread nor challah is available, use a good-quality white sandwich bread with a dense, soft texture. Whipped cream is the perfect accompaniment to summer pudding. For a larger, one piece pudding, see related recipe.
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