From my cookbook… Diane’s Bread Pudding
Who doesn’t like dessert? I like all kinds of desserts, but my favorite ones have three things in common: They are sweet, but not too sweet, wholesome, and made with love. This one hits the bullseye!
There are over 300 recipes in my recently published cookbook, Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us (Click on the link in Note 1 to get your own copy). Even in these inflationary times, we can prepare delicious meals for our family and do so in a way that does not break the budget. And it’s all in the cookbook!
Diane Giustozzi’s Bread Pudding
Diane has always been a good baker. At least as long as I’ve known her, which is all I can speak to. Her pie crust, while simple, is the best I’ve ever had. Sorry mom, but it’s just true. One thing about cooking and baking is a person just has to have a knack for it. I don’t know how else to describe it. I’m mechanically inclined, I can fix things and build things. I can cook, but baking, well, that’s different. Diane can bake.
Diane and I met at work, when we were working for American Airlines. We were two single parents at the time, and, well, you know how those things go. When I first met her, she was working for a guy named Bill. Bill was a Manager in Quality Control, Diane was his administrative assistant and Bill had responsibility for our manual system. Every manual change had to go through Bill. And Bill was a stickler for the rules, so if you needed something changed, you better get your facts and story right before you went to him. On occasion, I had a need to see and talk to Bill. Well, of course, to get to Bill, I had to go through Diane.
Somehow it came out that Bill liked bread pudding. Diane, being the baker that she is, developed a bread pudding recipe that she used to make for Bill. I’m not sure where it came from. Anyway, fast forward to Diane and I getting married, and we socialized with Bill and his wife, Sandy. One of the benefits I received from marrying Diane was access to her baking, and that meant her bread pudding. I like bread pudding, maybe not as much as Bill, but I’ve eaten a lot in my day. Bill loved Diane’s bread pudding and I do too. Well, the good news is that I’m going to share that wonderful recipe with you so you too can enjoy it. Let’s get baking!
Ingredients
For the bread pudding
12 oz. French bread, cut into 1” cubes
6 eggs
1 ¾ cup sugar
4 ½ teaspoons vanilla (Note 1)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup butter, softened
4 cups whole milk (Note 2)
½ cup raisins
Nonstick cooking spray
For the sauce
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup sugar
¼ cup bourbon whiskey (Note 3)
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs on medium until frothy (best with a stand mixer if you have it). With the mixer running, add sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add butter, then milk.
Spray a 10 x 13 Pyrex deep dish baking with nonstick spray. Spread the bread evenly, sprinkle raisins over top. Pour milk mixture over and allow a few minutes for bread to soak up liquid.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake bread pudding for 40 minutes.
While bread pudding is baking, prepare whiskey sauce. Bead cream until thickened, add sugar and beat until very thick. Whisk bourbon into sauce. Pour over warm bread pudding. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Quality ingredients are a key in delicious cooking and baking. Vanilla is expensive and when you see real vanilla and imitation vanilla in the grocery store next to each other, the tendency is to reach for the cheaper imitation stuff. Don’t do it. You can be smart about it. Buying in bulk is one way and where you shop is another (Costco for example). If you bake, you will need vanilla so talk to your friends and do some shopping so you can buy real vanilla. You, your family, and your guests will be glad you did.
I wish I could tell you bread pudding is a health food, but I can’t. Whole milk is one of those differentiators, so don’t skimp if you only have 2% or skim, use whole milk only in this recipe.
Like when you use wine in cooking, if you would not drink it, don’t cook with it. Same for whiskey.
Diane’s Bread Pudding
Afterburner Success Partners
What’s in it for me?
Good eats, that’s what!
Call to Action
Show someone how much you love them by preparing a delicious meal for them. Later, enjoy the time and money you save by relishing your leftovers, either for lunch at work or dinner at home. Take comfort in knowing you are eating hearty food you prepared. All because you made a good decision to follow the recipes and tips in the cookbook I developed just for you.
Besides getting a copy of the cookbook for yourself, it makes an excellent gift for those you love and care for, especially for those with a young family who are looking to save time and money in the kitchen. And learn a few things in the process! What a great idea!
Recommended Resources
Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us by David Giustozzi (Note 1).
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Notes
Please note that as an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a small commission on the sale of any of these recommended resources.
Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/437OhVQ