At this time of year, Jewish holidays abound and it is quite easy to find beautiful loaves of challah bread all over town. I picked up this loaf on sale at Harris Teeter. This recipe is super simple and works well as dessert or, my personal favorite, breakfast. Bread pudding is a great use of day-old (or older) bread so look for bread that has been marked down at the bakery or has been sitting in your bread drawer for a few days.
Ingredients:
4 to 5 cups challah bread, cubed
2 to 3 cups apples, peeled and diced
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup brown sugar
1 3/4 cups milk (I used a combination of skim and half and half)
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs
cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
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| Brown sugar, milk and butter |
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| Before adding the eggs |
Directions:
1. Combine challah bread, apples and raisins in a large bowl.
2. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, milk and butter – bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over the bread mixture. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, beat 2 eggs and add cinnamon and about 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
4. Spread bread mixture in a baking dish – I used an oval baker. Pour egg mixture over bread.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.
6. Serve warm from the oven or cold the next day! Tastes great with a little sweetened milk over the top – keep reading…
Sweet Milk
This tastes absolutely amazing over the bread pudding or fresh fruit or just by the spoonful. It tastes a lot like my favorite canned food weakness – sweetened condensed milk. Yum!
Ingredients and Directions:
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 cup milk (I used a combination of half and half and skim)
4 tablespoons butter
a splash of vanilla extract
Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat until the butter is melted. Stir well. This can be refrigerated and used cold – simply stir again before using. You can also reheat it in the microwave or in a saucepan. Enjoy!!
