This is super simple, but everyone seems daunted when they see the final product.
Pudding:
1 Pound good french bread (Usually two small baguettes or one and a half large ones as the large ones are softer and can soak up more stuff, faster.
6 eggs
5 cups milk
1 cup Sugar
1 cinnamon stick (if you don't have it add about a teaspoon ground cinnamon)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract--don't go cheap here, get the real stuff.
About a half cup of raisins--this is more to taste.
1/4 cup Jack Daniels or other bourbon--don't go super cheap though.
Sauce:
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
reserved bourbon (I use Jack Daniels)
Make the pudding:
1/2 hour up to 1 day before-- put the raisins in a bowl and put the bourbon over the top, that's right you are going to bring them back to life with bourbon.
Cut or rip the bread into about 1/2 to 1 inch cubes, place in a bowl.
Scald milk--heat it to just before it starts to bubble--with the cinnamon stick or ground cinnamon in there. Beat the eggs, with sugar and vanilla.
Take the milk off the stove, and temper the eggs with the milk--add a little at a time while mixing it in, until you have about half to three quarters of the milk mixed in, bringing the eggs to temperature without scrambling them. (Don't worry, it's easier than they say on TV). Mix the rest together.
Strain the bourbon off the raisins--reserving the bourbon for the sauce later.
Put the raisins on top of thee bread you've cut and put into a bowl.
pour the warm custard mixture over the bread and let sit at least 10 minutes--30 is better, just let all that soppy goodness soak up.
Mix the bread and custard/raisin mixture a little--just turn it over a few times making sure everything is soaked.
Put the mix in your baking dish--which is coated in butter--don't skimp, go for the butter, no one makes bread pudding to help their diet, let's be reasonable here. Push all the bread down--like you are taking wonder-bread and making balls to throw at your siblings. You want it tight and packed so you only want one piece. Hence the not skimping on the butter.
Here's where you can make a few changes to how it turns out--either put it in a bath (a bigger tub filled about 1/4 to half way with hot water) then bake for a moister, more "New Orleans" Style pudding. Or just put it in the oven for the semi-crunchy sides for a more Northern bread pudding. I prefer the latter--but make the former in honor of my grand-dad.
Bake for about 45 minutes to 1 and a quarter hours--depending upon how moist or crusty you want it.
Just before you take it out of the oven, make the sauce.
The sauce is like this:
Melt a stick of butter--again you are not making this as a means to lose weight.
mix in the cup of sugar--use bakers sugar if you can find it, it comes out nicely.
add the bourbon and mix--you're done, unless you want it creamier, then add a little half-and-half for that rich creamy goodness.
Enjoy, because I can't anymore--blast that egg sensitivity.
