the making of bread pudding...

I think bread (and butter) pudding has got to be one of the greatest inventions of all time.   It solves the problem of leftover breads perfectly.  I'm sure all of us have expired breads in our kitchen one time or the other, and most of the time we're not sure what to do with them.  Bagi ayam, kalau ada ayam.. but city folks nak bagi sapa?  Bagi kat tong sampah lah jawabnya... huhu...

So, the best thing to do when one has expired breads is to turn them in bread pudding.  Not only it's yummy, but it's so simple to make.  My versionlah...  my version is always simple!!  

The first bread pudding I made was when I was a student back in the land of Great Lakes. Being a 'poor' student in a strange (yet awesome) country made one very resourceful. So, bila ada roti expired, saya buatlah pudding.  Back then, there was no internet and one couldn't google up for recipes. So pakai hentam keromo je lah.. But my housemates (the giggly G15) loved my bread pudding. Kan, guys? ihiks...

So, here's the bread pudding I made this afternoon.

It should be bread and butter pudding actually, 

but I ran out of butter, so it's just plain bread pudding.. 

that's how simple my cooking is..  (=

The ingredients are :

Breads, of course. The more stare it is, the better... errrr...

Anyway, you can use any types of bread.

I've seen people use barguettes. And some people toast 

their bread first in the oven so that the bread gets very very dry.

Dry bread soaks up the liquid (in this case milk) better

and makes the pudding tastes better too. So they say...

But I'm too lazy to toast the bread. 

So guna the bread as it is. Simplified cooking maa....

 

Jam - any types and it's optional...

Cream or fresh milk.

Use low fat if you're counting your calories. 

Raisins. I love raisins and am happy that raisins are almost

always used in bread pudding. Guna sultanas pun okay kot...

 

Okay, now it's time to assemble the whole thing.

First of all, tear up the breads into pieces.

You can use knife or scissors if  you like.

But I prefer to use the most useful tool in the kitchen - my hands! :)

When you've worked your way halfway towards 

the top of the baking pan, sprinkle some raisins and jam 

on top of the bread. Alternatively, you can do it any way you like.  

Repeat the process till you fill up the pan.

Then pour in the cream/fresh milk till the whole thing is covered.

I sprinkle some sugar at the last moment 

after my maid commented "Enggak letak gula ya buk??"

Ayoo, so to satisfy her, I sprinkle lah some sugar... 

 

Put aside the dough for a while so that the bread soaks up 

all the liquid/cream. Five minutes should be enough.

I'm not the kind who like to wait around. Am an impatient soul,

so I've been told many times (esp by my better half. .. huhu...)

 Four minutes and 50 seconds later, pop the pan into the oven.

And bake till it's cook. How long? mmm.. about 30 mins?

My bread pudding is all done!

It may not be the prettiest, but it sure tastes good!! yummy!

Bread pudding is best eaten with vanilla sauce. WOWZA!!

Tapi this time around, a dollop of jam would do.

As if lah the whole thing is not sweet enough.

Ayoo.... sekali sekala tak pe kan....

I've also tried bread and butter (yup, this time ada butter) pudding the Nigella Lawson's way.  Saw her did it on AFC a couple of years ago and decided to give it a try.  Here's how she did it..(or rather how I did it)...

 Make jam sandwiches and cut the sandwiches into small pieces.

Cut into two pun boleh jugak. Then arrange the pieces like so.

Basically, the ingredients are the same.

Bread, jam, butter, fresh milk and raisins.

The only difference is the assembly part... 

 

 Then arrange the whole thing like the above

and sprinkle with raisins and dollops of butter. 

And bake. Mudah banget sih!

Some people put eggs in their B&B pudding, but I don't quite like the eggy smell and taste in my desserts. Apa-apa desserts yang ada telur tidaklah begitu saya suka.  And some people put flour too.. that makes the pudding a bit more doughy and firmer.  It's all personal preference, actually.  But no matter how it's made, B&B pudding is an all-time classic dessert and loved by many, me including....