Bread Pudding
by Linda Beckman
I read several bread pudding recipes and reviews and then took a bit from each one. This is a very adaptable recipe with tons of variations, both in what you can add and the types of bread that can be used. You can throw in nuts, dried cranberries, apples, etc. Some recipes called for cinnamon and some didn’t. One woman used stale hotdog buns and others used everything from challah bread to croissants. I used half a (really large) loaf of Tuscan bread that I knew would never get eaten before going bad. It equaled about 5-7 cups, cubed. So here goes:
Ingredients:
- 6-7 cups bread, cubed
- 2 1/4 cups milk (I didn’t have much milk so I used 1 can evaporated and 1 cup regular milk)
- 3 eggs
- 2 tablespoons melted butter, slightly cooled
- 1 tablespoon vanilla (I know that’s a lot but one recipe called for 2 T. so that’s a compromise)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, plus a little more
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk everything except bread cubes together, making sure all sugars are dissolved and ingredients are well blended. In 9×13 or similar baking dish, arrange bread cubes evenly. (I used a smaller, deeper dish so I had more layers.)
Pour egg/milk/seasoning mixture over bread cubes to coat. It will be soupy. Here’s a tip I think ensures it will turn out right: cover with plastic wrap and set something (not too heavy) on top to ensure bread absorbs the liquid and finished dish doesn’t turn out scrambled eggy. I used an unopened bag of powdered sugar. After about half an hour, remove plastic wrap and put dish in oven. Times ranged from 55 to 70 minutes. After about 45 minutes, mine started to brown too quickly, so I turned the oven down to 325 and draped a piece of foil across the top, then continued to bake for 15 minutes. Came out perfecto.
There were lots of recipes for toppings, and some looked really interesting, but I went with whipped cream because that was what I had. I’m thinking maple syrup over it for breakfast! Have fun with this and share your ideas, please.
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Linda and I “met” on Facebook a few years ago. She is married and lives in Florida…which is where I wish I were today. It is COLD here in Oklahoma! Thank you for sharing this recipe, Linda. Bread pudding is one of my favorite desserts!
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