Bread and Butter Pudding

So I found this little gem at the Tattered Cover this week:

 This excellent discovery (combined with several more inches of snow) means it's time for some wonderful, warm Irish comfort food.  I had some cinnamon raisin bread in the fridge, and adapted the recipe accordingly (read: left out the raisins), but otherwise, this is right from the new cookbook.  It's also one of the simplest recipes for bread pudding I've ever tried, and uses only ingredients you've probably already got on hand.

While bread pudding isn't exactly a fancy dessert, as it evolved as a way of using up stale bread, it's one of my favorites, and absolutely perfect for a cold winter evening.  (It's also great for breakfast with a strong cup of tea.)



Ingredients:

• 8 Slices cinnamon raisin bread
• 2 tbs butter
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups milk (preferably whole)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

Butter the bread on both sides, cut them in half, and lay them out, overlapping, pointed ends up, in a glass baking pan.  In a medium bowl, beat the eggs well, then beat in the milk, sugar, and vanilla.  Pour the mixture over the bread, and let sit for 10-15 minutes so the bread can absorb the wet ingredients.

Pre-heat oven to 350F.  Sprinkle the top with sugar, and bake the pudding aproximately 35 minutes, until slightly puffy and browned.  Serve warm.



Many bread pudding recipes I've come across include some sort of sauce for drizzling over, but you really don't need it.  The pudding is moist and sweet enough just as-is, but if you feel inclined to top it with hard sauce or even just a drizzle of caramel or melted chocolate, who am I to stop you?  Enjoy!