Makes: About 6 servings
Time: About 1 hour
When you make bread pudding, you transform stale bread into an unbeatable dessert that lends itself to infinite adaptations. All sorts of bread will work, as will day-old pastries like Danish or cinnamon rolls; best is one that’s neither too crusty nor too soft. Serve with Hard Sauce or the sauce for Sticky Toffee Pudding.
1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Combine the milk, ½ cup of the sugar, the raisins, butter, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and the salt in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, just until the butter melts. Meanwhile, fill a kettle with water and put it on to boil. Butter a loaf pan or square baking dish and cut or tear the bread into bite-sized pieces—not too small.
2. Put the bread in a large bowl, then pour the milk mixture over it and stir to submerge completely; let sit for a few minutes. Beat the eggs briefly and stir them into the bowl. Pour the mixture into the baking dish, then mix together the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle over the top. Let sit for a few minutes to absorb the custard. Set the baking dish in a larger baking pan and pour in enough hot water from the kettle so that it comes about halfway up the sides of the dish.
3. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean or nearly so; the center should be just a little wobbly. If you want to brown the top, turn on the broiler, remove the dish from the water, and broil for about 30 seconds. Serve warm or cold. This keeps well for 2 days or more, covered and refrigerated.
RUM RAISIN BREAD PUDDING Add ¼ cup dark rum to the saucepan once you take it off the stove.
VANILLA BREAD PUDDING Doubly comforting with a scoop of vanilla ice cream : Omit the raisins and cinnamon. Add 1 tablespoon vanilla extract to the milk mixture when you take it off the heat.
CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING Leave out the cinnamon and add 3 ounces chopped chocolate in place of the raisins; cook until completely melted. For double chocolate, stir in 3 more ounces of chopped chocolate after you add the bread.
BANANA BREAD PUDDING Stale banana bread is imperative here; otherwise it won’t soak up the custard: Substitute Banana Bread for half of the bread. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract just before the bread, then mash 1 ripe banana and beat it with the eggs. If you like, substitute chocolate chips for the raisins and stir them in along with the eggs. Top with Boozy Caramel Sauce or Butterscotch Sauce.
VEGAN BANANA-CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING The banana not only adds flavor but also serves as an egg replacement, along with the cornstarch: Substitute nondairy milk for the dairy milk and 2 ripe bananas for the eggs. Add 1 cup vegan dark chocolate chunks. Mash one of the bananas and chop or slice the other one. Stir the bananas and chocolate into the bread in Step 2 in place of the eggs.
EGGNOG BREAD PUDDING Use the Italian holiday bread panettone, store-bought or homemade (page 433) for something especially festive: Omit the raisins and cinnamon. Use 2 cups eggnog and 1 cup milk; decrease the sugar to ⅓ cup. Remove from the heat and stir in 3 tablespoons bourbon. If you don’t have eggnog, use the original quantities of milk and sugar and add ½ teaspoon nutmeg before cooking.
BERRY BREAD PUDDING Depending on your mood, you can top this with Whipped Cream, Crème Anglaise, Fruit Compote, or just powdered sugar: Skip the raisins and cinnamon; when you take the saucepan off the heat, stir in 1 teaspoon each vanilla extract and grated lemon zest. Fold in 2 cups mixed berries—like blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or hulled chopped strawberries—with the bread.
APPLE-CINNAMON BREAD PUDDING Increase the sugar to ¾ cup. Peel, core, and chop 2 apples and omit the raisins. Increase the butter to 5 tablespoons; melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat, then sauté the apples in the pan until they’ve softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Proceed with the recipe, adding the apples along with the bread.