Whenever there is some extra bread in the house and I know we won’t eat it, I am happy. I get to do my favorite kind of cooking (baking) and my most loved of all recipes, childhood flavored grandma’s soul food bread pudding.
Grandma knew how to make us happy or heal us when we were sad or sick. Bread pudding was one way. Always did the job and it was the one recipe all three of us sisters liked.
What you need (6 servings)
7 eggs
1 liter milk
10 -12 slices bread (almost an entire loaf)
3 tbsp unsalted butter
lemon zest from 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven at 170 Celsius (around 325 Farenheit).
In a large bowl, beat the eggs well.
Add all milk, lemon zest and vanilla. Start breaking the bread into pieces and add it to the mix. Don’t add all the bread slices from the beginning as they soak all liquid and might leave you with a dry mixture (if that happens, just add more milk). Add a few slices at a time and soak them well into the mix. At the end when all bread is fully soaked we want to still have a wet easy-to-pour mixture. Add the butter either melted or cut into little cubes. Mix everything together well.
Grease a non-stick pan with some butter and pour bread mixture into the pan. Pop it in the oven for about 40 minutes or so or until golden brown on top. We know it’s cooked in the middle when the pudding starts rising like a soufflé. Don’t overcook it though. It might lose all moisture and become really dry.
Enjoy it while still warm with a spoonful of yogurt on top and some fruit jam, or honey, or brown sugar, or any sweet toppings that you like on your ice cream or sundae.
Dedicated to both my grandmas who fed our childhood with sweet memories and soft warm soul foods! Thank you!
Theo and Mira 