Sweet Bread Bake with Quark and Peaches Recipe
This sweet bread bake with quark and peaches is a homemade dessert in the style of a Polish bread pudding, a bit like cheesecake made with stale rolls. Soft rolls soak up a vanilla quark mixture, topped with juicy peaches and a thin coconut crust. It’s a simple way to use up “yesterday’s” rolls without waste, with a result reminiscent of a family-run bakery.
This sweet bake combines the idea of Polish bread pudding with cheesecake, echoing the classic snack of stale rolls soaked in milk that many people remember from childhood., Using peaches in syrup and coconut on top gives it a nostalgic, 1990s home-bakery feel that is very familiar in Polish home cooking.
This sweet bake combines the flavours of cheesecake, bread pudding and a classic Polish afternoon snack of stale rolls soaked in milk., Quark gives a pleasant, slightly grainy creaminess, while peaches in syrup add juiciness and a gently “compote-like” aroma that many associate with 1990s home cooking., The coconut topping forms a crunchy, fragrant crust that contrasts beautifully with the soft centre.
Why this version works
- The stale rolls are thoroughly soaked and squeezed, so the dessert is moist but not watery.
- The quark is mashed beforehand, giving a cheesecake-like texture without large, dry lumps.
- Peaches arranged in two layers guarantee fruit in every bite.
- A thin layer of coconut mixed with butter creates a fragrant, crunchy crust.
Chef's tips
If, after mixing, the mixture seems very runny and flows like pancake batter, add a little extra breadcrumb or another piece of soaked roll., If the mixture is too dry and crumbly, rescue it with a tablespoon of cream – after mixing it should come away from the spoon smoothly, leaving a thin coating., Remember that the bake will continue to set slightly after you take it out of the oven, so remove it when the centre still has a gentle wobble.
How to serve
Serve slightly warm with a dollop of thick yoghurt or cream, or with a simple sauce made from the reserved peach syrup with a little lemon juice., It’s perfect with afternoon coffee or as a sweet warm supper with a mug of cocoa., For larger gatherings, bake it in a bigger dish and cut into bite-sized squares as a “tray bake” to nibble on.
Watch out for
- Don’t drown the rolls in milk – bread that’s too wet will thin the mixture and the centre won’t set.
- Don’t bake for too long – a very dark top means a dry, bready centre.
- Don’t blend the quark with the bread for too long or the mixture will become heavy and dense.
Substitutions
- Use any white bread or brioche instead of wheat rolls, adjusting the soaking time depending on how dry it is.
- Replace peaches with other canned fruit such as apricots or cherries, draining them well.
- Use full-fat quark or cream cheese for a richer, more cheesecake-like result.
Ingredients
- wheat roll can be stale - 3 pieces
- semi-fat quark minced or well mashed - 400 g
- peaches in syrup drained weight - 400 g
- milk for soaking the rolls - 300 ml
- egg size M - 3 pieces
- sugar for the quark mixture - 80 g
- vanillin sugar - 1 teaspoon
- butter for greasing the dish and mixing with the coconut - 20 g
- desiccated coconut for sprinkling on top - 20 g
- breadcrumbs for sprinkling the dish - 1 tablespoon
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (top and bottom heat). Thoroughly grease a baking dish of about 2 l capacity with butter, then sprinkle with breadcrumbs, shaking out the excess so the bottom and sides are evenly coated.
- Slice the rolls into thin slices or cubes and place in a bowl. Pour over the milk, pressing down lightly with your hand so all the bread is soaked; set aside for 5–10 minutes until soft but still holding its shape.
- Once the rolls are well soaked, gently squeeze them in your hands over the bowl. The pieces should be moist like a sponge but should not drip milk – otherwise the centre will turn out stodgy.
- Drain the peaches from the syrup (save the syrup for a drink or sauce) and cut into medium bite-sized pieces so they remain clearly noticeable after baking and don’t turn into a purée.
- In a large bowl, mix the quark with the sugar and vanillin sugar. Add the eggs and mash everything with a fork or briefly blend until the mixture is relatively smooth with small, cheesecake-like curds.
- If the quark is very dry, add 1–2 tablespoons of milk or cream and mix again – the mixture should be creamy but still thick and not run off the spoon. Add the soaked rolls and gently fold in with a spoon without crushing them completely.
- Transfer half of the quark-and-bread mixture into the prepared dish and level it, pressing down lightly with a spoon. Spread half of the peaches on top, pressing them in slightly so they don’t dry out during baking.
- Spread the remaining mixture on top and level the surface again. Arrange the remaining peaches on top, pressing them in only partially so they remain visible in the golden surface of the bake.
- In a small saucepan, melt 10 g butter, remove from the heat and mix with the desiccated coconut. Sprinkle the top evenly with a thin layer so there are no thick mounds of coconut, which burn easily.
- Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for 25–30 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and the quark mixture is clearly set – when you gently shake the dish, the centre may wobble slightly but should not be liquid.
- After removing from the oven, let the bake rest for at least 10 minutes. During this time the centre will firm up, making it easier to cut neat pieces, and the peach juices will evenly moisten the bread.
Storage
Store covered in the fridge for 2–3 days – the centre will tighten slightly like cheesecake and become more compact., Before serving you can briefly reheat it at 150°C or eat it cold; after freezing, the texture will be a bit more crumbly and less fluffy.
When I have an open jar of peaches and a few rolls in the bread bin, I make this bake “out of nothing” – the kids always eat the coconut crust first.
