Southern bread pudding

7
Points®
Total Time
40 min
Prep
10 min
Cook
30 min
Serves
8
Difficulty
Easy
Bread pudding is an old and simple comfort-food classic, enjoyed in many parts of this country. This Southern version features rich, crunchy pecans to complement the roasted apples and raisin bread. Simple to prepare, this dish is ready in 40 minutes and perfectly paired with a spoon of vanilla ice-cream. Kids and adults will delight in the warmth in each bite, ideal for cold winter nights. Though typically rustic in appearance, bread pudding makes a wonderful dessert during the holidays, especially baked in a fancy dish. If you have time, cut up the bread, spread it on a baking sheet, and let it stand on a countertop, uncovered, overnight. The stale bread will be drier and better able to absorb the milk mixture, giving the baked pudding a firmer texture.

Ingredients

1% low fat milk

1¼ cup(s)

Egg

4 large egg(s)

Sugar

cup(s)

Vanilla extract

2 tsp

Ground cinnamon

½ tsp

Ground nutmeg

tsp

Raisin bread

12 slice(s), with cinnamon, crusts discarded, bread cut into 1-inch squares

Apple

1 medium, Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes

Chopped pecans

3 Tbsp, chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 1 1⁄2-quart shallow baking dish with nonstick spray.
  2. Combine the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl; whisk until blended. Add the bread, apple, and pecans. Let the mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until the bread absorbs some of the liquid, about 10 minutes. Pour the mixture into the baking dish.
  3. Bake until the pudding is puffed and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 25–30 minutes. Remove the pudding from the oven and let cool 15 minutes. Serve warm. Yields 1⁄8 of pudding per serving.

Notes

We add apples for flavor, fiber, and nutrients. Try serving this with a teaspoon of warmed apricot preserves or raspberry jam drizzled on top.