Old Fashioned Bread Pudding

Bread pudding is a classic dessert.  People have been making it for years and years.  Old time Cajuns made it a lot because they didn't waste anything!  When they had left over bread, they used it.  Sometimes they made Pain Perdu, or "lost bread", which is what they called French toast.  Sometimes they made bread pudding.  It was a favorite because it was delicious and down right cheap!  I'll bet you have all these ingredients in your kitchen right now.  If not, they wouldn't cost you much.

Here is a simple, classic recipe just like the old Cajuns used to make.  No fancy sauces, no cream glazes, just simple goodness.

BREAD PUDDING

1/3 - 1/2 loaf of day old bread (whatever you have left)
1/4 cup raisins
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt (a pinch)
1 1/3 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 2 quart baking dish.  Cut bread into small cubes.  Place the bread into the dish.  Sprinkle raisins over the bread.

In a large measuring cup, combine remaining ingredients.  Beat well.  Pour over the bread and raisins.

Push the bread down to help it absorb the custard.  Place the dish into a larger baking dish filled with about 1 inch of hot water.

This is called a water bath.  It helps to keep the bread pudding moist while cooking.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.  But it's pretty good by itself!

I used left over sweet Hawaiian bread to make this.  Wow!  It was awesome!  So, I thought I would also give you my recipe for the bread.  If you have a bread machine, make this.  It is so worth it.  If you don't have a bread machine, you should go buy one just to make this bread.  It's that good!  Just kidding.  (You can buy some King's Hawaiian Rolls and let them get a little stale).

HAWAIIAN BREAD

3/4 cup pineapple juice (lukewarm not cold)
1 egg
2 TBS canola oil
2 1/2  TBS honey
3/4 tsp salt
3 cups bread flour
2 TBS dry powdered milk
1 pkg yeast (2 tsp size)

Place ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed.  Use the Sweet cycle on the Light setting.

Easy and absolutely delicious!  Perfect for dinner tonight and bread pudding tomorrow.

So, enjoy the simple things in life.  A great cup of coffee, good company and classic bread pudding.  Sounds good to me.