It rained nearly all day last Tuesday. Rain and baking go together for me. Something about a dreary sky and a pouring-out from that sky makes me want to stay in and see what creation I can come up with.
But that was not the only reason I felt that warm cozy desire to make bread pudding. The main reason was milk. 2% in a half-gallon container.
After making a cup of Earl Grey, I got the milk out of the fridge, saw that the sale by date was July 22nd and it was the 23rd. I took a whiff. No worries, the smell was fine. I poured some milk into my mug of tea. Tasted fine, too. But I knew the milk wasn't going to smell okay for long. And there are few things worse than brewing a nice mug of tea only to find that the milk you used has separated in your mug because it's sour.
As the expression goes, been there, done that. Not fun.
There were over three cups in that milk container and to use it up, it would need more than just half an ounce per tea consumption. I knew something had to be done with the milk. Or it would end up like the last bit in the gallon jug we'd bought a month ago----down the drain. I've used milk that I wouldn't put in tea for recipes that call for buttermilk. That's worked. But I wanted to use the milk in a recipe that didn't need buttermilk. And as the rain hit against the kitchen windows, it came to me: Bread pudding.
We had slices of bread in the freezer.---those lonely slices and bits that get stuffed into the freezer because there is no other use for them. I pulled out about five bags of old bread and let them thaw on the kitchen counter.
Next, I looked for a good recipe. Carl, my husband, suggested using one from the old cookbook his father owned. Carl says he's never had a recipe go wrong from using that book. I looked online too, read through a couple of recipes and comments from bakers. Those comments helped, especially the one that said to make sure you let the egg mixture soak into the bread. For me, that was a life-saver, or recipe-saver. So when looking online, read the suggestions other bakers have made after they've made the recipe. It's like getting the answers for a test before you have the opportunity to fail.
I can easily see how bread pudding came to be. Someone had bread she didn't know what to do with, and milk. Possibly eggs. Voila! The recipe happened! Actually, according to this article, bread pudding came about largely because of what to do with stale bread. It was once the poor man's dessert. Since the 11th and 12th centuries, it has become a fancier dessert, now served in trendy restaurants.
My rule for baking is: Find a good recipe, make it once, and then add to it the next time you create it. With this recipe you can add chocolate, bourbon, cranberries, apples---the list is long.
Bread Pudding (serves 6)
4 to 5 cups cubed stale bread (I used what we had----white bread slices, buttery dinner rolls and oatmeal bread)
2 TS butter
3 cups milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 ts cinnamon
1/2 ts nutmeg
1 TS vanilla flavoring (use less if it's real vanilla extract)
pinch of salt
3 eggs
1/2 soaked raisins (I soaked mine in water. It plumps them out and they don't crinkle and dry out while baking)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
In a greased 2-quart baking pan/casserole dish, place the bread cubes.
On the stove over low heat, mix in a saucepan, the butter, milk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir and let it come to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Let it cool.
Add the eggs. Whisk.
Gently toss in the raisins and walnuts.
Pour the milk-egg mixture over the bread. With the back of a spoon, press the bread down. It is important to set this aside and let the mixture sink into the bread. Set aside for an hour at least.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 to 40 minutes or until the middle is done.
This is a delicious custard-type pudding that can be served warm or cold. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream. Store leftovers in the fridge.
