Bread Pudding

This recipe is based on how we made it at the tearoom. Many of our bread pudding loving customers dubbed it the best. This recipe is for Ron and Donna of Kincardine, who would come to the tearoom regularly. They supported us and helped with quality control. Ron was the one who suggested we serve the pudding hot and warm the caramel sauce. We liked to serve it with sauce dripping down the sides and topped with whipped cream.

Bread pudding can be as simple or as complicated as you like. Some like it wet while others like it lumpy. I had it once at the Dunkeld; just south of Paisley, made with chunks of white bread, chocolate, and served with a Jack Daniels sauce. It was wonderful! Other places use whole-wheat bread. Some use whatever is available that day. I think that was the way it had been made for hundreds of years.

The most wonderful thing about bread pudding is that it can be made ahead of time. It can be frozen or served fresh out of the oven. Reheating is easy in the microwave. Enjoy this tummy-warming comfort food that is a real crowd-pleaser.

• 1 pumpernickel loaf or crusts of 2 loaves. Fresh or frozen but never stale
• 1 litre of milk (roughly)
• 2 cups Thompson raisins (golden or mixed)
• 1/2 cup table cream
• 1 cup brown sugar (or white granulated sugar)
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 4 large eggs

1. Tear bread into small pieces and place in a large bowl.
2. Stir in milk and mash together.
3. Add raisins, spices, cream, eggs, sugar, and vanilla.
4. Mix all ingredients, creating your desired consistency.
5. Let stand at least half an hour for a good soaking.
6. Stir ingredients vigorously before putting in one or more pans.
7. Use cooking spray on muffin tins for individual servings or a large glass pan.
8. Pour mixture into pans.
9. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for 25 minutes for muffin tins and about 1-1/2 hours for a large glass pan.
10. A toothpick inserted will come out clean. Pudding will be firm to the touch.