Old Fashioned Bread Pudding

There is no funny business in this post at all. I am waiting for my ganoderma. I know you wish I would just post recipies instead, preferably miniature recipes. This recipe is a normal size one, but it is very very good. Here goes.

This dessert is so thrifty, so traditional. How can it taste so good? The secret lies in the preparation.
Bread pudding is baked in a bath. That is, it is baked in a casserole which is set inside a pan of boiling water. This gives it a custardy, light texture. It fools our tastebuds into thinking we are eating something amazingly rich, when we are really just cleaning out the breadbox.

You will need:
Approximately five cups of bread cubes. Cut the cubes about 3/4 inches square from slightly stale and dry bread. Save up your bread heels in the freezer if you need to, or buy day old bread for this recipe. The white Italian type loaf works well for this. I used a nut bread, here. And Grandma's dishes.

1/4 cup raisins, optional
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups milk (I use 2%)
1/4 cup heavy cream, if you have some
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla

Butter the bottom and sides of a 2 qt ovenproof casserole.
Place all the bread cubes in the casserole. If you are including raisins, add them to the bread cubes.
Stir the sugar and cinnamon together in a 1 qt. bowl. Whisk in the milk and cream. Heat this to a little above room temperature (I microwave mine). Whisk in the eggs and vanilla. Pour all of this evenly over the bread cubes. Set aside while preparing the "bath" and pre-heating the oven.

Turn the oven on to 350º f. You will need a 9x11 cake pan or some similar pan to hold your casserole. Bring a qt of water to a boil, in a kettle or microwave. If your bread cubes have not soaked up the milk mixture, you can help them out by pushing the cubes down evenly with the palms of your hands. Check for dry cubes at this time and crumble them up if you find any.

Cover the casserole with a lid or foil. Set the casserole in the middle of the cake pan. When the oven is up to temperature, place the casserole and cake pan in the oven. Carefully pour the boiling water into the cake pan, enough to come about 1 inch up the sides of the casserole.
Bake at 350º for 45 minutes. Remove the lid or foil and continue baking another fifteen minutes or until the pudding is not runny in the center.
Remove the pudding from the oven and allow it to sit for ten minutes before diving in.

Gilding the lily! Pour heavy cream over a piece of warm bread pudding. Add fruit of your choice.