This stuff was good. And I mean GOOD.
Real homemade, custard style banana pudding just hits the spot. It takes just a little extra effort, but the composition and the taste is just completely different than banana pudding made with boxed pudding mix.
Don't get me wrong, boxed pudding absolutely has its place. It even often has its place in banana pudding. But sometimes you just gotta go for it and make The Real Deal.
This is a lighter flavored banana pudding, almost more fresh tasting than sweet. If you prefer your pudding desserts very sweet, one small can of condensed milk may be added to the custard.
For this pudding you'll need:
- ½ Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Cup Sugar
- Kosher Salt
- 4 Cups of Whole Milk
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 4 Bananas, sliced
- Vanilla Wafers (I used Janis and Melanie's Vanilla Wafers for this recipe. They're absolutely delicious!)
Don't be intimidated at the thought of making custard. It's actually incredibly simple.
Custard is essentially just egg yolk cooked slowly in cream. It takes a little bit of patience, but the finished product is so worth it. Once you've done it once you'll see how easy it is!
Separating Egg Yolks
Separating egg yolks is not nearly as intimidating as Gordon Ramsey makes it look. I promise. There are several methods that all work fairly well, although I do have a favorite.
"The Jiggle Method"
Okay, I'm sure that's not actually what this is called, but we're gonna go with it.
- With clean hands, crack the egg just as you would normally flat against a clean counter top.
- Separate the egg shell halves, dropping the yolk into one side. Discard the other half of the shell.
- With your other hand make a cup shape with your palm and drop the egg yolk into your palm.
- GENTLY jiggle the egg yolk in your cupped palm over the sink (or a bowl if you'll be saving the whites of the egg), until all of the egg white has separated from the egg yolk.
As I mentioned, there are several other methods that work well: (ex: bottle method, egg shell method, etc.) this is just my favorite. Maybe I'll do a blog post over different ways to separate yolks sometime. Moving on..
- Add the flour, sugar, dash of salt, whole milk, egg yolks and vanilla extract to a large cold saucepan.
- Place the saucepan over medium-low heat, begin whisking the ingredients until you see a nice consistency.
- This is the part that takes some patience, 20 minutes worth of patience. You'll need to whisk at least every 2 minutes to avoid getting the custard stuck to the sides of the pan. It's better if you just get into it and consistently stir. Arm muscles people, we've got this! I like my custard extra thick (I'm not a fan of thin banana pudding. So I sometimes add a couple of extra minutes.)
- If you've got a kitchen helper, have them line the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish with vanilla wafers. If you don't have a helper, this doesn't take very long you can do it after your custard thickens (just remove it from the heat!).
- Place a thin layer of banana slices on top of the wafers.
- Pour half of the custard over the bananas.
- Repeat this process once more, then top with a sprinkle of crumbled vanilla wafers and whole vanilla wafers.
- Banana pudding can be eaten right away, but I prefer mine chilled for at least 3 hours in the fridge.
Every once in a while when I make this I like to add a layer of fresh whipped cream or meringue on top of the last layer of pudding (before the cookies), but I didn't quite have time this go around. I'll post a meringue recipe soon and re-do this recipe with some more photos!
For now, enjoy!
If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to post a rating and comment!
I’d love to see your pictures on Instagram too! Tag @a_toastedcrumb!
The Real Deal Banana Pudding
Ingredients
- ½ Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Cup White Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 4 Cups Whole Milk
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 2 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 4 Bananas sliced
- 2-3 Cups Vanilla Wafers
- 1 14oz Can of Condensed Milk optional (only use if you like the custard very sweet)
Instructions
- Add the flour, sugar, dash of salt, whole milk, egg yolks and vanilla extract to a large cold saucepan. (If you want sweeter custard, add the can of condensed milk.)
- Place the saucepan over medium-low heat, begin whisking the ingredients until you see a nice consistency.
- Continue to whisk the custard over medium-low heat consistently for 20 minutes until it begins to thicken. (If you like the custard thick add an extra two minutes.)
- Line the bottom a 9x13 casserole pan with vanilla wafers.
- Add a layer of fresh bananas.
- Pour half of the custard over the bananas.
- Repeat this process once more.
- Optional Step: If desired, add a layer of fresh whipped cream or meringue.
- Top the last layer of custard (or whipped cream) with crushed and whole vanilla wafers.
- The pudding can be eaten right away, but tastes best after chilling in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
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