Basically Bread Pudding

So, what does a family of two do with a package of 8  hamburger buns?  First night, barbecued hamburgers, of course.  Then, to freeze or not to freeze...  NOT.  There's alot you can do with day old bread, you know, the kind you don't want for a sandwich.  You can make croutons, make my panzanella pasta or a strata.  But, my go to dessert happens to be a simple bread pudding.  I usually can't mess that one up.

I used sesame seed buns because that's what I had, but, I still like the rustic French or country bread.  The texture has just the right amount of crunch followed by the custard like goodness!  I used this recipe from Williams Sonoma and cut it in half.  I didn't want just the two of us gorging on bread pudding for days.  This adjustment makes at least 4-6 servings in a 8x8 pan.

Bread Pudding 

About 4 hamburger buns or the equivalent of 6 slices of bread, cubed

2 eggs

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 - 1/2 tsp cnnamon

pinch of fresh ground nutmeg

pinch of salt

2 cups of milk

1/8 cup cranberries or raisins (I used dried blueberry craisins)

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter an 8 inch square baking pan.  Put the bread cubes in it.

In a bowl mix the eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt using a whisk.  Add the milk and whisk again.  Pour this over the breadcrumbs and let it sit.  Press the bread crumbs into the egg mixture a few times to absorb the moisture a bit.  About 15 minutes.

Toss on the fruit of choice pressing gently to submerge slightly.  Put the baking dish into a larger shallow roasting pan.  Add very hot water to halfway up the sides of the dish.  Bake until done.  A knife inserted into the middle will come out clean.  Baking time should be about 45-55 minutes..

You can serve with a sprinkling of powdered sugar, ice cream, a warm amaretto sauce or all of the above!  It's great chilled also.