'Totally Fab' Bread Pudding

History

Bread pudding is as old as the making of bread. Wise Cooks not wanting to waste stale bread still
 use the crumbs in a variety of dishes including stuffing’s, fondue, sprinkled over many main dishes
 and bread puddings. Thanks to the ancient Romans and their love of omelets, bread pudding
was never too far away!

History shows it in many forms all over the world as a simple and economical dessert dish. The
 ‘Epicurean’ along with other cookbooks over the last 150 years would often list it under their section
“food for invalids.”

Purists resist additions to ‘fancy’ up a dish that was in essence a ‘poor folk’s dessert’; however, I
 cannot find a better way to honor the past than recreating and improving a simple dish.

Regional Preferences

South Africa has adopted the ‘Bread Pudding’ as one of their traditional dishes and it is fantastic.
Although there isn’t one type of bread pudding in South Africa there are  several variations: one with
a British flare ( with apricots), a Cape-Malay version and a superb Afrikaner pudding. Each is delightful.

Our Bread Pudding

In typical American fashion, we take what we think is the best from everyone and hopeful move it
up a notch. I think the idea of throwing whatever cake or bread like material that is on hand into the
 recipe has merit. Adding wine or rum into the sauce to pour over the pudding is worthy as is adding
white sultanas (soaked in brandy for a few days), dried blueberries and glazed diced pecans
 into the topping!

I added a taste of Rosewater as a homage to past and ancient recipes.

btw, it is important to get over the notion that this must be a ‘frugal’ dessert.

(Interestingly enough, we never had stale bread in our home... either it never was
around to become stale or it was consumed anyway in one fashion or another!)

INGREDIENTS FOR THE PUDDING
 

 ½ pound  sliced muffins

1½   pound dried sliced bread with crust (the crust adds to the texture)

2 cups milk (boiled and infused with 2 vanilla beans, and spices)
3 cups heavy whipping cream ( 5 cups may be used and milk  omitted)

9 eggs

1  cup Baker's sugar

1 tbsp Rose water

4 tbsp Amarula

2 vanilla beans (slit and scraped for infusion in milk)

5 teaspoons spices (7 special dessert spices*)

½  cup melted butter
¼ cup apricot preserves ( spread over bread prior to mixing)

1 cup Sultanas (white raisins)

1  cup dried Blueberries
Salt

My spices contain the following parts:

5 parts cinnamon

2 parts ginger
1 part mace
1 part cardamom

1 part nutmeg
1 part cloves

1 part allspice

After Cooking for one hour, mix the topping  and pour over the top
of the pudding and cook for an additional 20 minutes!

3 eggs,
 2 tsp cinnamon ,
1/2 cup brown sugar,
1/2 cup butter and
1 cup glazed slivered almonds**,
1 vanilla bean ( scraped)

** in a pan cook your almonds in the butter, cinnamon and brown sugar...
cool and add to your beaten eggs and vanilla
 

Making the Sauce!

INGREDIENTS FOR THE SAUCE

4 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons Barenjager (Honey liquor)

1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup of Brandy (from soaking the berries)

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup heavy whipping cream

Arrowroot to thicken if needed
 

( heat as necessary to fully dissolve sugar into cream, add
remainder of ingredients with Barenjager last… cool)

PROCESS

A) Combine bread, milk (infused with vanilla bean), cream together, then add to beaten eggs
and sugar and spices.

strain berries saving the brandy

Stir in melted butter, rose water, raisins and dried blueberries

Pour into Casserole dish

B) Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until knife inserted comes out clean

C) Spread the top of this with a layer of :

3 eggs, 2 tsp cinnamon , 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter and
1 cup glazed slivered almonds, 1 vanilla bean ( scraped)

D) Bake another 20 minutes

E) Cool

F) Pour warm Sauce over bread pudding serving