Bread Pudding/Baked French Toast

What do you look for in a recipe?  Easy and quick to make?  Inexpensive?  Tasty and kid-friendly?  Well, Bread Pudding hits all those marks.  Bread Pudding is basically cubes of stale bread that are soaked in a milk, egg, sugar and vanilla mixture and then baked in the oven until it sets.  If you or the kids like French Toast, you'll like Bread Pudding.

If you have half a loaf of French or Italian bread leftover from dinner last night, this is the perfect use for it.  With my carb-loving kids around, we rarely have leftover bread so I usually just head to the bakery clearance section of my local Kroger store and pick up a loaf for $.49.  If I make it for breakfast or brunch, I rename it Baked French Toast and serve it with syrup.  If I make it for dessert, it's Bread Pudding, served with caramel sauce.

Some things to keep in mind:

• You can add almost anything to it to change it up--chocolate chips, nuts, dried cranberries or blueberries, raisins, diced apples sauteed in butter and cinnamon, lemon or orange zest.  
• This recipe is a cinch to double (one large loaf of bread will usually net about 8 cups of cubes, so I almost always double it).
• To make it healthier, toss in some wheatgerm or oatmeal with the breadcubes, or use a combination of white and grain breads and use skim milk.

 

Bread Pudding (based on a Better Homes and Gardens recipe)

Ingredients:
4 cups white bread, cut into cubes
4 eggs, beaten
2 1/4 cups of milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
optional - 1/2 cup dried cherries, raisins, nuts, cranberries or sauteed diced apples
caramel sauce

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350.  Bake the bread cubes on a baking sheet for 5-10 minutes or until they are dry.  Place dried bread cubes and any optional ingredients (fruit/nuts) in an ungreased 2 qt. baking dish.
2. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the milk, beaten eggs, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Pour mixture evenly over the bread cubes. If there are any dry bread cubes sticking up, dunk them down into the milk mixture.
3. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes, or until set. (If you poke a knife in the center it should come out clean, not eggy, when the pudding is done).
4. Scoop into bowls and serve warm.  Serve with syrup (if for breakfast), caramel sauce or whipped cream.