Kirschenmichel (South German cherry bread pudding)
Units
Temperature
Servings
Ingredients
Bake
- 350 g stale bread rolls, cut into cubes rounded
- 500 ml milk rounded
- 4 eggs rounded
- 80 g sugar rounded
- 3 g vanilla extract rounded
- 400 g sour cherries, pitted, fresh or drained jarred, kept whole rounded
- 30 g butter, for the dish rounded
- 20 g powdered sugar, for dusting rounded
Method
Method
- Whisk the milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla together in a large bowl.
- Add the bread cubes and toss to coat. Let soak for 15 to 20 minutes, tossing occasionally, until fully softened with no dry centre.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan). Butter a 20x20 cm baking dish.
- Fold the whole pitted cherries gently into the soaked bread, distributing evenly. Transfer to the dish and smooth the top.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custard is fully set and the top is golden brown. Let rest for 5 minutes.
- Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
- Keep the cherries whole rather than chopping them. Whole cherries release their juice slowly into the surrounding bread as they bake; chopped cherries bleed out all at once and can leave patches of the pudding waterlogged.
- Soak the bread until no dry centre remains. This is what gives Kirschenmichel its characteristic dense, custardy texture; a partial soak leaves hard, dry pockets in the finished bake.
- Fold the cherries in gently, without crushing them. Even whole, they’re delicate once ripe, and crushing them defeats the point of keeping them intact.
- It’s best warm from the oven, though leftovers reheat reasonably the next day.
Ingredient substitutions
- Sour cherries are traditional; sweet cherries work too, though reduce the sugar in the custard slightly since sweet cherries need less balancing acidity.
- A pinch of cinnamon in the custard is a common addition.
- Serve with vanilla sauce or whipped cream alongside.