Bread Pudding for DiamondGirly and her Mom

Hi DiamondGirly I have two similar recipes that I use. I also have two different vanilla sauces, but I like both. When I first started making bread pudding, I only used two eggs like the recipe called for but then I tasted my aunt's bread pudding in 1999 (she was camping and made bread pudding for us!) It was so good I asked her for her recipe. She didn't really have one but said she used 5 eggs and always lets the bread soak in the milk mixture. So, I always do that too!

Bread Pudding

4 cups good bread -like French, torn or cut

half a stick of butter, melted

5 eggs

2 cups milk (or part milk, part half n half)

½ cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

¼-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

Put bread in a buttered 2 quart baking dish. Pour butter over and toss to coat. In a bowl, beat eggs and add milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Pour over bread and mash down the bread a bit. Let sit for about 20 minutes. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Top with vanilla sauce, ice cream or whipped cream. May add raisins or diced apples to bread mixture before baking.

Vanilla Sauce

1/2 cup sugar

3 T brown sugar

1 T all purpose flour

dash of ground nutmeg

1 egg

2 T butter

1 cup half n half plus 1/4 cup of milk

1 T vanilla

Whisk first 7 ingredients in heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, 10 to 12 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Old Fashioned Bread Pudding This recipe is from my mom and it's the one that I learned first. The top recipe is pretty much the same but no scalding of the milk, more eggs and one contains vanilla in the bread part.

4 cups soft bread cubes

2 cups milk, scalded

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs, slightly beaten (or more, like my dear aunt!)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1-2 pinches grated nutmeg

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1 apple, peeled and cut (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Place bread cubes in a buttered 2 quart baking dish. In a sauce pan, scald milk with butter in it. Pour over bread. Let sit for 15-20 minutes. Press down with fork to make sure all bread is covered. Mix together, sugar, eggs, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well then pour over bread and mix together. Stir in apples and raisins if using. Bake for 40 minutes.

Vanilla Sauce

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

pinch of salt

1 cup boiling water

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

In sauce pan, mix sugar, salt and cornstarch, add water gradually, stirring constantly, and boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. This reheats well. My mom always kept it on the stove and reheated when someone wanted more bread pudding. That's what I do too.