Oh how I love bread pudding. I don't know what it is about putting together such humble simple ingredients, but the end result is simply magical to me.
I told my kids it was baked french toast, and they loved it. I am not a big fan of pudding and I was afraid that calling it that would not only mislead them about what to expect, but maybe just turn them off. I really really don't like pudding.
But I do Love this, and since I called it baked french toast, we ate it for a late Saturday breakfast. I had a little giggle to myself that I was getting dessert for breakfast. I had a little giggle about all if it really. I was using the last of the Thanksgiving rolls (which had sadly gone really stale) and it tickles me pink to use up food that otherwise would have been thrown away and have it turn into something delicious. It makes me feel ridiculously clever.
Ingredients:
Bread Pudding:
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 cups milk
10 slices cut into cubes (I used a dozen rolls)
1 cup raisins (nobody was eating this if I put raisins in it)
Vanilla Sauce:
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/4 cups milk
1 pinch salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 2-quart baking dish.
In a mixing bowl, whisk 3 eggs, white sugar, 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 cup of butter, and 3 cups of milk together.
Then gently stir in the bread cubes and raisins. Lightly spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish. You don't want to get too squishy with it. Mashing the bread will only make mush.
Bake in the preheated oven until browned and set in the middle, 50 to 55 minutes; cover the dish with foil after 30 minutes to prevent excessive browning.
Let the pudding stand for 10 minutes before serving.
For vanilla sauce, whisk 1/2 cup of light brown sugar, the flour, a pinch of cinnamon, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 1 1/4 cups of milk,and salt together in a heavy saucepan until smooth.
Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and the sauce coats the back of a spoon, 10 to 12 minutes.
Stir in the vanilla extract. Pour sauce over warm bread pudding, or serve on the side in a bowl.
