As the winds blow across the front yard this January, and the snow that fell a week ago hasn’t melted, I started making more hot soups and even a few French bread loaves. That’s when I remembered Mom’s bread pudding. If you’ve never tried it, it may sound a bit plain and not worth trying, but I still remember the hot out of the oven love in a cup or bowl.
About 20 years ago, I was vacationing in San Francisco and entered a 5-star restaurant. I was a bit surprised when I saw bread pudding on their menu. Frankly, my mom’s dessert was better, but I knew my mom would laugh out loud, if she saw this diner dessert on this fancy over priced menu.
Today, you can find bread pudding nearly everywhere, so instead of trying it, make your own version and pass down the comfort that may have started in the lean years of the Great Depression. Mom’s Fanny Farmer cookbook has the basic one and 12 other versions to enchant the goodness. My son, Chris, makes his with European chocolate bread pudding which takes it to another level! I used my stale homemade French bread and well…Bon Appetit.
Thanks Mom!
Recipe for Bread Pudding from the Fanny Farmer Cookbook, 1941
2 cups of stale bread cubes (used 3 cups)
1 quart of milk
½ of white sugar (I added ½ brown sugar on top of the mixture)
¼ cup of melted butter
2 large eggs slightly beaten
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp of spice (I used cinnamon)
Soak the bread cubes in milk, add other ingredients. Bake one hour in buttered baking dish 8X8 at 325 degrees.
Nice basic recipe. I’ve made both chocolate, butterscotch and vanilla versions.
Nice warm dessert for cold nights.
Mom use to put raisons in if we had them, and a vanilla sauce on top a few times which I loved.