Bread pudding
First, a tip: don't go to the nearest bakery outlet and stock up on $1 loaves of bread, unless you're not a goober like me and know how much to get. I had no clue how to gauge how many cups a loaf would contain. I bought three. I used about three quarters of ONE. LOL, the more you know. None of you will be goobers now! You're welcome. ;)
Anyway.
I used this recipe.
Ingredients:
6 1/4 cups cubed whole wheat bread
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried mixed fruit
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine bread and milk, and set aside to soak for 5 minutes. Then stir in egg, butter, raisins, mixed fruit, brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Mix well. Press the mixture into a 9-inch square baking pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven until golden and firm to touch, about 35 minutes. Leave in baking pan to cool, then cut into squares.
All I did to change this up was use raisins and cranberries only and soak them in kirschwasser, and adjust the seasoning because I ran out of nutmeg. I used some allspice and ginger and a dash of cardamom. If I were to do it over, and it looks like I will be due to the copious amounts of dry bread I now have on hand, I would most definitely reduce the butter. It's got a very, very lovely buttery taste, but it's a smidge on the too-much side for my taste.
Time to clear a space in the freezer. I have an inkling that these little babies will be a go-to breakfast item. Imagine the slices made like French toast. I have just the maple-agave syrup blend I want to try with that!