Helen Carnes' Lemon Bread Pudding
From Germanic roots to sunshine desserts, Mom Carnes' soufflé-style bread pudding that transforms simple ingredients into lemony perfection
Welcome to this week’s edition of The Dinner Bell Newsletter. Here I share some of my favorite family recipes for your Sunday enjoyment, along with the stories, history, and memories that make these dishes special.
This week’s culinary journey begins with some surprising DNA discoveries, which, as you’ll see, tie directly to my great-grandmother Helen Carnes’ Lemon Bread Pudding recipe.
Recently, I decided to dive deeper into my heritage. I had planned to explore one branch of the family, but when I logged into Ancestry, a DNA update revealed a much different landscape than I expected. It turns out I’m significantly more Germanic than I thought—40% of my maternal DNA traces back to regions including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and more. It turns out my Irish ancestry took a backseat to this Central European revelation.
Here’s how Ancestry describes my newly discovered ancestral home:
The dramatic landscape of our Germanic Europe region rises from the Dutch and German lowlands along the North Sea through forested uplands to Austria’s Alps in the south. The German people were united by language and culture before Germany became a united country in 1871. Known as Das Land der Dichter und Denker (“the land of poets and thinkers”), Germany is home to some of the oldest universities in the world and has a long tradition of producing world-class scientists, inventors, theologians, artists, and composers.
Ancestry also shared stories about the region. I’m curious to learn more about ‘Walpurgis Night’ and ‘Schwingen.’ The descriptions alone make me feel like I’ve stepped into a Harry Potter book!
With these updates, my sense of identity shifts once more. It seems I’ve traded 13% of my Irish heritage for Germanic Europe and bid farewell to some Welsh, Swiss, and Danish roots. I’m a bit wistful about losing my Nordic connection, but the good news is I’ve gained ties to the Scottish Highlands (cue a Braveheart rewatch!) and picked up a dash of Iceland—one of my dream travel destinations.
Altogether, my new profile feels like a rich tapestry of Central European roots, Highland flair, and a touch of Icelandic mystique. While I may have traded my shamrocks for pretzels, this journey through my DNA has deepened my appreciation for the complex history that shapes us. Inspired by these discoveries, I’m excited to explore these newfound aspects of my heritage. After all, every family story is a unique blend of traditions, stories, recipes, and images just waiting to be discovered and celebrated, right?
To explore my Germanic roots more deeply, here’s a peek into my research so far. My maternal family line traces back to the Glasers and the Wissels, the parents of my great-grandmother, Helen Wissel Carnes, and one of the lines that links my family and me to Germany. Still, on the maternal side, two additional lines via the Wiedman/Gehring and Baker ancestors also connect us to regions of Germany that were once part of the Prussian Empire. We have just two outliers on the maternal side of my family that will take us to France and Ireland. We’ll focus on Germany for now.
The Glasers settled in Indiana in the 1850s, having come from Bavaria, known in German as Bayern. Frederick Glaser arrived at a New York port on August 3, 1841, aboard the Mason Barney from Rotterdam, Deutschland. The details of his wife Catherine Schurger’s arrival remain a mystery. However, I do know they married on October 6, 1857, and intriguingly, Frederick was much older than Catharina. Could he have been married before?
Next week, I’ll follow the Glaser line further and begin unraveling the Wissel family history—linking these personal branches to broader German history. I can’t help but wonder—did these families know each other before their journey to America? Get ready for a time-traveling adventure through 19th-century Germany—we’ll be in Germany for a while! Until then, enjoy Mom Carnes (Helen Wissel)’s Lemon Bread Pudding and recipe—a sweet taste of our family heritage.
Hear that? It’s The Dinner Bell, calling you home! Join us as we pull up a chair at our family table.
Helen Carnes’ Lemon Bread Pudding
Get ready to indulge in a slice of sunshine: Mom Carnes’ Lemon Bread Pudding puts fresh lemons front and center, brightening a classic bread pudding with a zesty twist. Simple ingredients—bread, milk, sugar, butter, eggs, and lemon—combine to make a comforting dessert, where separating the eggs creates a light, soufflé-like texture. Finished with powdered sugar, it brings a perfect balance of tart brightness and sweet warmth.
Yield: 12 servings | Prep: 15 min. | Cook: 60 min.
Ingredients
2 large lemons, juiced
1 1/2 cups dried bread cubes
2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp. butter
4 eggs, separated
1/2 tsp. salt
Powdered sugar
Directions
Two days before making this dish, set out bread on a baking sheet to dry.
Preheat the oven to 350°F before making the pudding.
Butter a 9x13-inch pan and set aside.
Separate the eggs into two bowls: one for the yolks and one for the whites.
Place dried bread cubes in a large bowl.
Pour lemon juice over the bread and set aside.
Bring milk and sugar to a boil, add butter, and stir to incorporate. Pour over bread, gently combine, then cool.
Whisk the egg yolks, then add them to the bread mixture.
Beat egg whites with salt until stiff, then fold into the bread mix.
Pour mixture into the prepared pan and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Place the pan on a baking sheet. Add 1 cup of hot water to the baking sheet and bake for 1 hour.
Sprinkle with more powdered sugar and serve with berries, whipped cream, or lemon sauce.
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Jennifer had no idea we had such a German background it really is interesting to learn what makes us who we are. Thank you for doing all the research. The lemon pudding was great
Very interesting story today Jennifer! I enjoyed reading about your new discovery of heritage.