Bread pudding is simply cubed stale bread that is soaked in a mixture of milk, sugar, and eggs, and then baked. The result is something like the creamy middles from a stack of French toast.
What elevates bread pudding to the realm of a truly decadent dessert is the sauce. You can serve the pudding with a caramel sauce, a vanilla sauce, or a hard sauce like the one in this recipe that features bourbon whisky.
Ingredients:
Bread Pudding:
10 ounces loaf stale French bread, crumbled (if you use fresh french bread reduce milk to 3 cups) or 6 -8 cups any type of crumbled bread (if you use fresh french bread reduce milk to 3 cups)
2 cups sugar (granulated)
1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 eggs
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup raisins
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
4 cups milk
Joes Whiskey Sauce
1⁄2 cup unsalted butter
1 1⁄2 cups powdered sugar
2 egg yolks
1⁄2 cup Bourbon
Directions:
For the Bread Pudding:
Butter a 9 by a 13-inch baking pan. Set oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients. The mixture should be very moist but not soupy. Pour into the buttered dish and bake 1 hour and 15 minutes until the top is golden brown. Serve warm with Joe’s Whiskey Sauce.
For Whiskey Sauce:
Using a handheld mixer, cream butter and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, beating until all butter is absorbed. Remove from heat and blend in yolks.
Pour in bourbon gradually, stirring constantly. The sauce will thicken as it cools. Serve warm on warm bread pudding.