Bread Pudding

Bread Pudding is one of my all-time favorite desserts. Anytime we go out to a fancy restaurant and bread pudding is on the menu, I am always tempted to order it! Being from New Orleans, I have been privileged to some of the best bread puddings in the world, and for some reason, I have always considered it to be one of those desserts that is out of my league when it comes to cooking it. It just seems complicated. The bread, the custard, the sauce.

However, that is no longer the case.

My mother-in-law came across this bread pudding recipe a few months back. She is just as enthusiastic about bread pudding as I am (if not more so), so she was determined to give this one a go. I am so glad she did! It's incredible, and incredibly simple to prepare.

Bread Pudding

Ingredients for Bread Pudding:

3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pint whipping cream
1 package Hawaiian rolls or 1 loaf of sour dough bread

Directions for Bread Pudding:

Spray a 9x13" pan.
In a medium bowl, combine eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Add whipping cream and mix well. Pour into bottom of pan. Tear bread apart into bite-size pieces and saturate in custard mixture. (You can add as much bread as you like. The less bread, the more custard-like the bread pudding will be. I used Hawaiian rolls and used about 3/4 of the package. I didn't use all of the rolls.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Ingredients for Sauce:

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 Tablespoon self-rising flour
1/4 can evaporated milk
1/2 stick butter, unsalted
3/4 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

Directions:
Bring all ingredients except extract to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring constantly. Once it's at a boil, add the extract. Remove from heat and pour over warm bread pudding.

Serve immediately or let set until room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers. (If there are any).

***We have tried both the vanilla and almond extract flavorings for the sauce. I prefer the vanilla. In my humble opinion, the almond over-powered the dessert and that's all you tasted. The vanilla is much more subtle!
***This recipe is easily doubled, so if you are serving a large crowd, just double everything, ESPECIALLY the sauce!

Bon Appetit!