I first tasted this type of bread pudding at a cute local bistro. The main courses left something to be desired. But our taste buds we certainly tantalized by the vanilla, cinnamon and caramel concoction the pastry chef called bread pudding! My bread pudding recipe is a best-guess-adaption with a city-girl twist. The secret? Twice as much custard as usual bread pudding, and letting the bread and custard set for 3 hours. I'm tell you, don't cut corners in the soaking department. I tried to short-cut the time and it was just not the same! Bon appetit!
Ingredients:
- 2 Loaves of soft-crust French bread, de-crusted and cut into ½” -1” cubes (Kroger sells 2 loaves for $3 in their bakery)
- 10 Eggs- beaten
- 4 c. Granulated sugar
- 3 c. Milk
- ¼ c. Pure vanilla extract
- ¾ c. Sweeten condensed milk*
- ¼ c. Water (to thin condensed milk)*
- 1 ½ c. Packed dark brown sugar
- ½ c. (1stick) Butter – dice half
- ½ c raisins (plumed in sugar water by heating in microwave)
- 3 Tbs. cinnamon
*Can substitute water and sweetened condensed milk with 1 c. of regular milk.
Get Cookin’:
- Put bread cubes in 9x13x2” glass baking dish (bread should almost reach the top of the dish)
- Let bread stale overnight. If you need to expedite the drying, place bread in the oven on low heat to dry out.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together: eggs, granulated sugar, milk, sweetened condensed milk, water, vanilla and cinnamon.
- Pour custard mixture over bread cubes evenly, coating all of the bread. Mixture should almost come to top of dish.
- Let set for 3 hours (this allows the bread to soak up the custard).
- After soaking, crumble ½ c. of Brown sugar over top, evenly sprinkle butter “chunklets”** over top of bread mixture.
- Preheat oven at 350º
- Drain raisins and spread generously over top of bread mixture.
- Cook in oven for 30-40 min. Check at 30 min. Bread pudding should be moist and not too crunchy on top. Pull some of the bread apart. Pudding should be a little more than moist but not too soggy. If soggy, place back in oven and check every 5 min.
- 5-10 min. before removing pudding from oven, melt remaining half stick of butter in a small saucepan over med-high heat.
- Add remaining 1 c. of brown sugar (add more based on desired consistency). Melt stirring constantly for 7-10 min., making sure caramel is smooth and not gritty. When done remove from heat and pour over hot bread pudding.
- Cut and serve hot.
**Chuncklets = Slices of butter that are then quartered.
ENJOY!
Serves 10-12 generously.
Helpful hint: Share the love. Make 2 6x9”dishes and give one away!
