~ Bread Pudding

Adapted from:
Allrecipes

Description:
Gooey bread pudding speckled with sweet raisins~

Ingredients:
3 slices of bread, cubed

1 1/2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp raisins

1 egg, beaten

1/2 C milk

1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1) Coat bread cubes with oil and place into a baking dish. Sprinkle with raisins.
2) Beat the egg, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla together. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture.
3) Bake in the preheated oven for 25 min, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped.

Remarks:

As a dessert which is well-known throughout the world, this humble dish consists of a simple alchemy of ingredients, which eventually leads to a gastronomical sensation. It was love at first bite when I had bread pudding with butter and caramel sauce at a hotel long time ago (despite being stuffed to the brim after the hotel's buffet).

As I was forever procrastinating and distracted by many things, I hadn't found the initiative to make one myself. Somehow, the sight of the loaf of bread sitting on the table yesterday gave impetus to today's re-creation of the bread pudding experience.

Of course, it wasn't as fantastic as the one I had before, due to my sparingly use of sugar, and my lack of expertise. It was burnt mostly on the bottom (and the top.. the raisins were blackened), and I only realised why after blogging about it. Since I'd cut down the original serving from 12 to 3, the baking time should have corresponded to the reduction as well. Geez, I'm such a slow thinker.

Apart from that, I had used 2 times of the bread slices (3 instead of 1 1/2) which were stated in the recipe since the liquid seemed too much. Wrong move. 2 slices would be appropriate, as the bread cubes would soak up the liquid like giant sponges not long after being placed in the oven. I was so afraid that the bread cubes or whatsoever would spill over when it was baking.

Use melted butter to coat the bread cubes if you can, for my virgin try at this recipe with olive oil didn't impress me. The top was pretty dry and needed some syrup over it. I had totally forgotten about the buttery rum taste that lingered well after I had my first bite of bread pudding. What absent-mindedness!

I would definitely give this a try again someday... when a loaf of bread gives me inspiration!