Yesterday, while cleaning up the kitchen, I remembered that I had a loaf of Challah sitting around that was almost a week old. It needed to be used or tossed, and I decided it had been so long since we had bread pudding, and I needed to rectify that.
I have no idea where my love for Bread Pudding came from, but it’s very much there. It’s really a peasant dish, designed to use every scrap of food. In this case, it was a way to use stale bread and make something substantial out of it. Eggs, milk and seasonings combine to form the custard part, add a little dried fruit, and you have a delicious bread pudding. The sky is really the limit as to additions or variations you could make of this. In fact, leave out the sugar and sweet spices, and instead add some savory ingredients, and you have a breakfast casserole of sorts. I chose to make a very traditional bread pudding, straight out of my Joy of Cooking cookbook. Simple bread and raisins were all I used, and last night as I sat down to my bowl of Bread Pudding, all I could do was smile and enjoy.
While this is technically peasant food, it sure is delicious, and I have made it for company many times over. If you really want to get fancy with it, you can make it in individual ramekins, and serve it with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. I like it straight up, but I’ve also been known to eat it for breakfast, warmed up in the microwave with a drizzle of milk.
Bread Pudding
from Joy of Cooking
12 to 16 ounces white bread, stale but not hard 3/4 cup raisins (optional) 4 large eggs 3/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 cups milkDirections:
Butter a 2-quart baking dish. Trim the crusts from the bread and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Spread the bread evenly in the prepared baking dish, and scatter the raisins over the top if using. (I put half the bread in the pan, scatter the raisins, and then add the other half of the bread.)
Whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Whisk in the milk. Carefully pour the milk and egg mixture over the bread in the dish. Let it stand for 30 minutes, occasionally pressing down on the bread with a spatula to help it absorb the liquid.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place the baking dish in a larger baking pan. Transfer to the hot oven, then gently pour hot tap water into the larger baking dish, around the bread pudding, about halfway up the bread pudding dish. (This is a water bath and really makes a difference!) Bake in the oven until puffed and firm in the center, about 1 1/4 hours. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream.
The pudding can be made several days in advance, cover with foil and refrigerate. To reheat, bake for 15 minutes in a 325ºF oven.