Bread pudding

This is a story I wrote several years ago. I look forward to making bread pudding in a couple of days!!

Bread Pudding

One of the fondest memories I have of thanksgiving is learning how to make bread pudding with my grandmother. I spent my first married Thanksgiving eve night with her to help her cook. I was so excited to be a part of the preparations that year. My husband went to bed, and I stayed up late with Gaga and we talked and laughed while making bread pudding. I, personally, have never been a big fan of the stuff. We only had it on Thanksgiving as a request from my uncle. The hard sauce we put on top of it is my favorite part. Actually, it is the making of the hard sauce that is the best. Well, over the years I helped Gaga make the bread pudding. We made it a little bit different every time. it was fun tasting it until we felt we had the right consistency and flavor. Well, my grandmother died this year, and I had to make the bread pudding on my own. I had no written recipe, only my memories of cooking with my grandmother. The dessert actually turned out really well. I was grateful to realize that I learned the art of making the pudding. I do feel the need to have a written recipe for posterity, knowing that practice is the only way to get it just right.
I decided to halve the recipe my grandmother always used. I did not have a huge crowd attending, and did not want much leftover. So, I used one loaf of bread instead of two. I took the loaf of white bread and spread it out on the counter and left it out over night. If you plan to use two loaves, you might want to make one of them whole wheat bread. It adds a little fiber and color to the pudding. When it came time to break the bread up, I put my kids to work. They had a good time tearing the bread up into little pieces. Put them all into a big bowl. In a smaller bowl, beat up two eggs. Add the following to the eggs:
About a cup of milk.
About a quarter cup of sugar.
About half a teaspoon of salt.
About half a teaspoon of cinnamon.
About a teaspoon of baking powder.
Take this bowl of liquid, stir it up and dump it over the bread. Start squishing the bread around with the milk mixture. Yes, you must use your hands in this recipe. Keep squishing and adding milk until you get the right consistency. It took us about 15 minutes to get it just right. I want to describe it like a pourable pudding. I tasted it several times, adding sugar and cinnamon as needed. You want to avoid big pieces of bread in the mixture, so tear the bread and squish it as needed. When you think that you have it just right, pour it into a greased pan. You want the thickness to be about one inch, so use whatever sized pan works, or use two. Cook at 350 until firm. Gaga use to cook it until it was hard. This is where I differ. I think I like it better still a little bit squishy.
If you ever want to learn how to make the hard sauce, you must show up at my house for on Thanksgiving and learn how to make it in person. It is the act of making it that is so much fun. It is the most fun part of the day, and also the most tasty. I hope that you enjoy the recipe for bread pudding as much as I have enjoyed it.
Love Melissa Senf