bread pudding.

I'm stretching my brioche to the fullest. Yesterday, I made bostock. Today, I had bread pudding for breakfast. I'm happy girl.

There are tons of bread pudding recipes out there. So many, that I got a headache deciding on which one I wanted to follow. So I came up with my own ratio: 2 cups whole milk, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, pinch of salt and most importantly, 4 cups of bread cubes. I soaked the bread overnight and then baked it in a 350F oven in a water bath until jiggly.

The result was a less-rich bread pudding with a hint of caramel from the brown sugar. It was barely sweet but sweet enough to eat on its own although I wished I'd added in raisins for more sweetness. Luckily I used a cranberry brioche, so the lack of raisins wasn't a major mistake. I should have sprinkled some coarse sugar on top before baking to get that crunchy texture I love and underbake it a bit more so that it's custard-ier and oozier. I took mine out once a knife inserted in the middle came out with the custard clinging on to it like creme anglaise but apparently that was baked too much already. Or perhaps it was because I took so long to snap the photos that it firmed up considerably.

Having said that, I think my photos are really blah this time. I would have spent more time to take a better shot but the bread pudding was calling my name! I couldn't resist it so I had to settle for the ones I already took. I really really need to improve on my photography skills...

Basic Bread Pudding
4 cups bread cubes (any kind of bread but I like an eggy one)
2 cups whole milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt

Throw your bread cubes into a baking dish. A high-sided one is preferable for a more custardy consistency.

Combine everything except the bread in a bowl and whisk until combined. Pour the milk mixture over the bread and make sure every cube is covered. Let the whole thing soak for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Before baking, you can also sprinkle on some coarse sugar on top for crunch.

Bake in a 350F oven with the baking dish placed in a water bath until set but the middle is still jiggly.

Eat!