left-overs into bread pudding

I know it's not really the time of year for a warm, hearty bread pudding... but what else do you do with left-over bread? Bread pudding came about as a way to use stale unwanted bread instead of throwing it out and since I hate to waste anything I made some bread pudding from left-over everything. A couple of different kinds of bread, some honey butter, maple syrup, buttermilk, eggs, sugar.. I wish we had left over bread all of the time.


Here's the recipe I used:

1 c milk
1 c buttermilk (or use 2 c of milk and no buttermilk)
1/4 c honey butter (basically butter and honey whipped together, you could use regular butter and spoon in a TB of honey over the bread)
2/3 c brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
about 3 1/2 cups bread, torn into pieces
1/2 c chopped pecans
(addt'l ingredients could be dates or raisins... anything you like)

Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 1.5 quart casserole with butter.

In a sauce pan warm the milk (not the buttermilk) just until film forms on top. Remove from heat.

Combine the honey butter and milk and stir until the butter has completely melted. Then stir in the buttermilk. This will cool the mixture. My buttermilk separated a little, if this happens use a strainer when pouring the milk mixture into the egg mixture.

Combine eggs, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla and beat on medium for about 1 minute. Slowly add the milk mixture and combine.

Place the bread in the casserole and pour the batter on top. Mix in 1/4 c of the pecans. Then sprinkle the remaining 1/4 c on top.

Now would be the time to mix in dates, raisins, etc.

Bake for 45 - 50 minutes, until set and browned on top.

Serve warm with ice cream and maple syrup.


It's great reheated the next day... just add chocolate shavings (a lot of them) before you put it in the oven to reheat and then you have a whole new experience... chocolate bread pudding!