By Request

By Betty Shimabukuro

Wednesday, September 16, 1998

By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Non DeMello stacks loaves of freshly baked
sweet bread on cooling racks. Some of the bread
will be used in DeMello's rich pudding.

---

Technique is key
to prize pudding

Cindy Matthews of Kaneohe is a big-time fan of the bread pudding at Agnes' Portuguese Bake Shop in Kailua. "They make the BEST bread pudding I've ever had," Matthews says.

Non DeMello, co-owner, head baker and chief bottle washer at Agnes', says his bread pudding is a rich blend of sweetbread, apples, raisins and spices. The key, he says, is not so much the recipe as the execution -- mixing well without over-mixing, for example.

For that reason, he's free with the recipe. But he declined to part with his recipes for cranberry and blueberry muffins, which Matthews also wanted.

Agnes, by the way, was Agnes Wright, who with her husband Tommy, was the original owner of the bakery. DeMello and his partner bought the bakery from the Wrights' son-in-law 11 years ago.

DeMello says a fat analysis of his bread pudding would be "scary." He offers ways to trim the fat: Try using egg whites only, fat-free evaporated milk, coconut flavoring instead of shredded coconut and eliminate the butter.

But DeMello warns that it won't taste the same. His bread pudding is simply not for the calorie-squeamish. It's like buying a Jaguar, he says: "If you have to ask the price, you can't afford it." And if you have to ask for the fat content of his bread pudding, you can't afford the calories.

Agnes' Portuguese Bake
Shop bread pudding

1 1-pound Portuguese sweetbread loaf, in 1/2-inch cubes
1-1/2 cups raisins
1/3 cup flaked coconut, preferably unsweetened
3/4 cup peeled, cored and chopped apple
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups evaporated milk
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tablespoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed

Preheat oven to 350-375 degrees.

Combine bread, raisins, coconut and apple. Drizzle butter over mixture and lightly toss.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the evaporated milk, water, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt, making sure the sugar is completely dissolved.

Pour liquid mixture into the bread mixture. Mix well, but do not over-stir (keep some of the consistency of the bread cubes).

Allow mix to sit for about 15 minutes. Pour into a greased 9-by-13-inch pan. Spread brown sugar evenly over the top of the pudding.

Place pan into a larger pan filled with water. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the pudding has "puffed" a little and springs back to the touch. Cool before cutting. Serves 12.

Refrigerate any leftovers.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 530 calories, 15 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 140 mg cholesterol, 350 mg sodium.*

More on bread pudding: This hearty dessert has been a favorite of fans of this column. Here are three other recipes printed over the last two years in response to reader requests. They can be accessed via our online edition, starbulletin.com (click on back issues and find these dates) or pay a visit to the reference desk at your public library.

Bourbon bread pudding: June 25, 1997;

Royal Hawaiian bread pudding (with vanilla sauce): Dec. 25, 1996;

Hawaii Prince bread pudding (with macadamia nuts): June 25, 1997.

Send queries along with name and phone number to:
By Request, Honolulu Star-Bulletin Food Section,
P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Or send e-mail to features@starbulletin.com

Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the Body & Soul section indicates calculations by Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts, a nutritional consulting firm.