Bread Pudding

Bread Pudding with Creme Anglaise
Copyright 2011 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

Bread pudding is a very common pastry back home and every bakery have their own version and I always get a slice or two of this growing up. There was also this muffin that my Mom used to buy that was a favorite treat for me whenever my mom went to the market or the city center. The bread pudding however was one that I remember as something me and my cousins made one night as we had a bunch of "nutribun" (a bread roll fortified with essential nutrients) that my Mom took home from school. There was this government program with the goal to improve the health of the students in public schools so they sent out nutribuns by the busload every morning as a free snack for the kids in school. My Mom being a public school teacher, she would bring home the extra bread and that is what we used to make bread pudding.

The recipe I'm using is something I found somewhere but do not distinctly remember where. It has become my favorite over the years and is quite simple. However, I have added a new dimension to it by serving it with creme anglaise which really balances the flavor of this bread pudding.

Bread Pudding

1 can condensed milk
1 large can evaporated milk
½ cup water
5 cups cubed white bread (at least 1 day old)
4 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup raisins
½ cup unsalted butter (softened)
½ cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon

1. In a large bowl, mix together condensed milk, evaporated milk and water. 
    Soak bread in milk mixture for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2. Mash the milk/bread mixure until soft. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing 
    well with a wooden spoon after each addition. Stir in white sugar and 
    vanilla. Mix well and set aside. 

3. In a small bowl, mix together butter, brown sugar, raisins and cinnamon. 
    Spread the butter mixture on the bottom of 9 x 13 baking pan. Pour 
    bread mixture mixture into pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 
    slightly. To serve, flip the pudding slice on a plate to reveal the sugary 
    topping. 

Notes:

Any bread will do but white bread seems to be the best for this. It makes the pudding smoother in texture. Also, the 5 cups of bread is a bit loose in terms of amount. You can go over just a bit and it would still come out great. No need to remove the crust.

You can serve this warm with creme anglaise, the recipe of which is found on the Joy of Baking website. When cold, it still tastes great when paired with hot tea.