This recipe comes from my grandmother on my mother’s side. I’m sure she made it in the 1930’s to make use
of stale bread during the depression years. My mother used to take a batch of bread pudding to our neighbors next
door each time one of their children was sick and they all grew very used to receiving this treat from my Mom over the
years.
Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten
2-3 tablespoons butter, softened
pinch of salt
dash of nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cornstarch
...grandmother says “size of a pea”
2 cup sugar
1 quart of whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 slices of bread, left out overnight to get stale
Heat the milk in a pot on the stove and let it get hot but do not boil it. Then add the eggs, salt, nutmeg,
cornstarch, sugar and vanilla and stir to combine.
Spread the softened butter on one side of each of the bread slices and also sprinkle each slice generously with
cinnamon. Throw the bread slices into baking dish or pan of about 2 quart size. Use a knife and fork to cut up the
bread slices in the pan/dish into bite sized pieces. Add the hot milk mixture and place in a 350 degree oven for 30-50
minutes until the top springs back when pressed and an inserted knife comes out with pudding on it.
It’s tricky to get the oven time just right. Your oven may be hotter or colder than mine. Darker or lighter pans, or
glass baking dishes, make a difference in temperature too. Too much time and heat will scorch the milk or the top or
else dry out the pudding. Too little time and heat will result in a milky pudding. I use a 350 degree oven and a glass
baking dish and I need about 45 minutes to get it just right. You will have to experiment to get good results. You can
always test this dish and see if it is done by sticking a butter knife into the pudding to see if it is covered with pudding,
not milk, when you draw it out. Also, to prevent the milk from scorching at the bottom of the baking dish, place the
baking dish in a larger pan of very hot water to buffer the milk from direct heat.
Also - try adding these options:
Mashed or cut up bananas
Raisins mixed in or sprinkled on top
Bread Pudding