Old Fashioned Bread Pudding

How to make Old Fashioned Bread Pudding Recipe - Designed mainly to use up dried bread, it was never much of a treat. But with less bread and more custard, it has become an American country favorite!

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:
1/2 (1-pound) loaf stale bread
1 quart milk (4 cups)
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 cup golden or dark raisins
2 apples, pared, cored, sliced
1/4 cup butter
Vanilla Custard Sauce, below

Method:
Preheat oven to 350F (175C).

In a medium-sized bowl, crush bread into milk; mix well. In a small bowl, beat eggs. Add to bread and milk. Stir in sugar, vanilla, raisins and apples. In a small saucepan, melt butter.

Pour into a 2- to 2-1/2-quart baking dish. Pour in bread mixture. Set dish in a larger baking pan; add boiling water to come halfway up sides of pudding dish.

Bake 50 minutes or until pudding is set and a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Prepare Vanilla Custard Sauce. Serve cooled or warm with sauce.

Note:
Leftover cardamom coffee bread or cinnamon rolls give the bread pudding a hint of spice.