Bread Pudding

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 6 slices day-old bread
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups milk
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Break bread into small pieces into an 8 inch square baking pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread. If desired, sprinkle with raisins.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped.

tips from reviewers:

Yum!!!! I used Pepperidge Farm cinnamon swirl bread, left out the raisins, added a 1/4 cup of brown sugar, used gourmet whipping cream instead of milk and topped it with a vanilla sauce recipe I found on this site. WOW! This made a dessert you'd pay a lot for in a restaurant. My husband and I loved it. And it was so easy! I'll make this a lot. Anyone who even remotely likes bread pudding will love this for it's ease and it's taste.
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This recipe is SO delicious and SO easy to make (no scalded milk or water baths here - yippee!). The first time I made it I used 4 eggs like the recipe calls for, but I thought it was way too "eggy" (it almost made a layer of scrambled eggs on the bottom of the pan!)... so the second time I made it with only 3 eggs and it was PERFECT! Both times I made it with cheap store-brand white bread and it was absolutely delicious, so you don't need to use an expensive bread to get good results. I topped each serving with a dollop of homemade whipped topping (whip 1/2 pint of whipping cream together with 3 tablespoons powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla)... and then I sprinkled a little cinnamon on top of that. It was truly "TO DIE FOR"!! Thanks so much for this easy and delicious recipe, Ellen! :)
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I started using this recipe nearly THREE years ago, and figured it was time to say so. I've read some of the reviews, and if this helps, I've tweaked a little, too. I don't usually like to share my secrets, but this one's free: keep the egg quantity, use half and half instead of milk; turbinado sugar adds a warmer flavor than white. Add some extra bread (a couple slices worth of ANY kind - I love the varying textures and colors), cram it with walnuts and 1/4 teaspoon of black walnut extract; use nutmeg instead of cinnamon with the black walnut flavor, ground ginger without. Exotic. I've topped this bread with thinly sliced pears in a pinwheel design (nicer flavor and softer texture than apples) and sprinkled the tiniest bit of brown sugar over them before baking. Warm with whipped cream is best, still it's a great start to any day as breakfast. Thanks, Ellen. I've been appreciating you for a while and would give you 10 stars if I could!