Best Quick And Easy Bread Pudding Recipes: Bread Pudding With Whiskey Sauce Recipe

Making bread pudding from scratch is one of the easiest recipes I have ever encountered and one of the best desserts. It is definitely a comfort food and is a great winter or fall dessert that you can keep simple or really make elegant. You can make people fall in love with you if you make it!

The first time I made bread pudding, I had never even tasted it and made it for my brother-in-law. The recipe was a Betty Crocker recipe from the 1970's and involved toasting the bread, spreading butter on it, basically sandwiching it together, and layering it in a casserole dish. Then it called for pouring milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla and raisins over that and baking. I had to admit the first time I smelled it baking I thought 'wow - where have you BEEN all my life?' It smelled wonderfully delicious and Irv was more than pleased with the result. It became my signature dish for years that I always made for him. He would just pour a little milk over the basic recipe that I made and call it certifiably delicious.

As the years have gone by, I have discovered more and more bread pudding recipes that are scrumptious and sinful in their many flavors and levels of expertise. This is a basic one and a simple one which I have lightened up with the ingredients. You can always ADD calories - but at this point in my life, I'm trying to lower them but still retain the flavor. One of my favorites is apple bread pudding or peach bread pudding and my husband's favorite bread pudding with caramel sauce! And then there is blueberry bread pudding! For a truly 'out there' variation, try my recipe for Breakfast Bread Pudding.

INGREDIENTS

• 3-1/2 cups skim milk
• 3/4 cup sugar (or sugar substitute)
• 3/4 cup egg substitute (or 3 eggs, beaten)
• 1/2 cup raisins (or other dried fruit such as apples, blueberries, etc.)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon butter melted (or use butter flavoring)
• About 5-1/2 to 6 cups of French bread or other dense bread cut into 3/4-inch cubes (or substitute bread cubes NON-SEASONED)
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine melted
• Cooking spray

PREPARATION

1. After 1 hour, you will be baking at 350 degrees.
2. Coat a 13 x 9 pan or baking dish with cooking spray.
3. In bowl or large measuring cup, combine milk, sugar, eggs or egg substitute, raisins (or other dried fruit), vanilla, cinnamon, butter or butter flavoring- whisk all thoroughly.
4. Add bread cubes – toss gently.
5. Let stand for 1 hour.
6. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
7. Add margarine or butter and toss gently.
8. Spoon mixture into a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
9. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until pudding is set. (Bread pudding will look a little undone when you remove it from the oven because it needs time to 'set up' - about 15-20 minutes but you can tell when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Just remove and let it do its setting up!
10. Serve warm or at room temperature. Cut into 12 squares – place on individual dessert plates. Top with whiskey sauce.
11. Investigate other variations - bread pudding is such a great dessert and you really can rarely 'kill it'.
12. For elegance, you can serve in fancy dessert cups or add things like whipped cream in a dollop or shaved or drizzled chocolate, nuts, etc. It all depends on the meal preceding the dessert and the 'flavor' you are setting for the meal.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
• 1/4 cup bourbon whiskey or flavoring to match
• 2 tablespoons margarine or butter
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup water
• 2-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

PREPARATION

1. Combine sugar, apple juice, bourbon and margarine (or butter).

2. Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves.

3. Combine water and cornstarch. Stir well and add to apple juice mixture.

4. Bring to a boil and cook stirring constantly for 1 minute.

Serve warm.   Makes 1-1/2 cups.