It's easy to overwhelm yourself with complicated desserts to bring to your dinner party, especially during the holiday season. To me, the best meals are simple to make, and champions the quality of its ingredients. And so, here's a simple bread pudding recipe that's fuss free, and guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser - top it off with good quality vanilla ice cream just before serving for maximum effect!
Recipe serves 6 - 8 people. Prep time 20 minutes, total cook time 45 minutes.
INGREDIENTS
12 slices of day-old bread
1/2 cups yellow raisins
500ml milk
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon nutmeg
A pinch of salt
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees.
2. Spray butter into an 8 inch square baking pan.
3. Slice bread into half triangle pieces and layer with raisins in the pan.
4. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg and salt. Beat until well mixed.
5. Pour over the break, making sure the break is covered and soaking up the egg mixture.
6. Cook in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly pressed.
ALY'S COOKING TIPS
1. Use yellow raisins instead of black, as the raisins will naturally blacken during the cooking process.
2. Cover the entire tray with wet baking paper when cooking. This prevent the top from burning before the entire dish is cooked through.
3. Instead of making a sugary sauce to top the dish, add a scoop of ice cream instead. The hot and cold of this dish elevates it. I would recommend vanilla ice cream always, but if unavailable, I have used macadamia nut ice cream or any flavor that is neutral.
3. For depth of flavor, use different kinds of breads. I usually use fruit, wholemeal and white bread, layering the dish as I go.
4. Always use old bread. Bread can hold in the fridge for up to a week, and are perfect for this recipe. The tautness and starchiness of the old bread absorbs the milk mixture well.