Bread pudding is one of those desserts that is easy to make, easy to alter, and is best made with leftovers. If you’ve got dry bread sitting around, use it! Otherwise, the cheap bread in the back of the bakery works just as well.
4 ish cups of dried bread, cut or ripped into small pieces
2 cups milk
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 Tablespoon vanilla
Combine the bread and milk in a large bowl. Set that aside to let it soak. By letting the bread soak, you’re softening it up and letting it absorb the milk.
Whisk together the remaining ingredients. Stir in with the soaking bread.
Pour into a 9×9 or 9×12 pan. Bake at 350 for 40-55 minutes, or until edges are brown. The pudding will puff in the oven, then fall as it cools. Serve warm or cold with ice cream, whipped cream, caramel sauce, or just by itself.
Great additions to this include:
1/2 to 1 cup raisins (let this soak with the bread and milk)
1/2 cup sliced apples
Canned fruit cocktail
Canned peaches
Brown sugar instead of white sugar
Or use cinnamon raisin bread.
Or toast the bread for 5 minutes in the oven before mixing it with the milk.
Long story short, this is a great basic recipe that can stand up to lots of experimentation. So have fun! Just be sure to leave the milk, eggs, butter, and bread in similar amounts - these are what give the pudding structure and weight.
One Response
January 22nd, 2008 at 12:43 pm
You’re freaking me out. Every time I have a food conundrum, you end up writing about it. Was recently forced, very much against my will, to buy a loaf of plain, sweet, goopy, bleached / enriched white bread so as to replicate the “Crunchiest Pork Chops Ever” recipe in the latest issue of Cook’s Illustrated (totally worth it). Anyway, the remaining bread (I only needed 4 pieces, blast it) has been loafing around my counter top for a few days, and I wasn’t really sure what would become of it. Now I know exactly what to do. Get in mah belly, white bread!
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