Favorite Recipe: Bread Pudding

Source: I can't remember my original source for this recipe (Food Network maybe?) but I have changed a number of things within it so I call it my own :)
Difficulty: EASY! For all you beginners, this is a great place to start baking!
Satisfaction: undoubtedly mouthwatering!

The only good thing about working nights at the hospital...more time to BAKE! As the weather in LA has been quite chilly, for L.A. that is, having grown up with seasons and having lived in the North East, I am well aware L.A. weather is considered warm comparatively, lol. That being said, there is no better time to warm up with oooooeeey-goooeeey bread pudding!
This recipe may be the easiest and quickest dessert I have up my sleeve, but ease does not mean boring, the taste this pudding packs is complex and rich and will have you coming back for more even though your top button has popped! My twist on the recipe this time around...single servings. Great for serving at a dinner party, little ramekins filled with decadent bread pudding. Grab your appetite and let's go! 

Yields 4 single servings (approx 3/4 cups of pudding per ramekin) or one loaf pan.

Bread Pudding: 

3 cups bread (6-7 slices of bread cut into 1"x1" squares)

1 1/4 cup milk

2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla*
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
4 tbsp. butter-melted
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Butter Sauce:

1 egg yolk

2 tbsp. butter
1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp. bourbon (or alcohol of choice-optional)

 Notes:

-Use old bread-it soaks up the liquid better. I save and freeze all bread that has past its dates for this reason, plus I hate wasting food and this is a great way to avoid waste.

-If you want to turn it up a notch, you can toss your bread cubes in melted butter and place in oven @ 350 degrees for 10 mins to get it toasty. This is a great way to "fake" stale bread too!

-I used wheat bread and it turned out just as tasty as the white bread I normally use.

-New vanilla...a good friend got me this awesome pure vanilla bean paste for my birthday and I love both the look and the taste! It has true vanilla bean seeds in it which makes any recipe look more decadent. 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  

Soak bread squares in milk while you whisk together the eggs and sugar. Stir in the vanilla and cinnamon. Take a small spoonful of egg mixture and mix it in the warm melted butter to temper it, then pour the butter into the egg mixture and whisk to combine. Lastly add the chocolate chip and nuts.

 

Fold milk-soaked bread into egg mixture until all bread squares are coated, allow to sit for 8-10 mins. Careful not to tear apart squares, you want to pudding to be chunky.

 

 

Grease 4 ramekins or 1 loaf pan and place about 3/4 cup of the mix in each ramekin, or the entire amount into the loaf pan. Sprinkle top of mixture with granulated sugar for a little extra crunch. Bake for 40-50 mins.

 

 

Make sauce just before serving. Whisk egg yolk. Heat butter and sugar together in a saucepan, stirring to combine. Once combined, temper egg with spoonful of butter mixture and then add egg to butter/sugar mix and stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes on low heat. Turn off heat and add bourbon and stir to combine. If your sauce has a chunky appearance, pour it through a small sieve to remove the chunks and give you a nice creamy sauce. Drizzle over pudding and serve but be careful it is simply addictive and you may not want to move after eating it! Happy baking...happier eating!