There are a number of French toast and bread pudding recipes out there that, while I’m sure are delicious, don’t excite me. Cinnamon french toast bread pudding excites me.
French toast, as most people know it, is bread soaked in an egg mixture rich with milk, spiked with cinnamon and nutmeg toasted in a hot frying pan.
On the other hand, bread pudding is more like a baked bread custard: bite-sized bread cubes soaked in a rich mixture of cream, eggs, sugar and sometimes butter. Yes, usually butter.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I won’t turn down either when it’s placed in front of me, but it’s rare that I will actively pursue French toast or bread pudding.
The thing with French toast is that it’s easy to ruin. It can quickly go from too soggy to too dry with a whole spectrum of ways to ruin it in between.
And bread pudding?
Bad bread pudding is just sad.
It’s a waste of calories not to mention a waste of perfectly good butter.
So my solution?
Combine them.
Start off by combining your eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg like you’re making French toast only instead of taking each piece of bread and frying it individually, cut the bread into cubes for bread pudding and bake the whole mixture.
I promise, it’s good.
Real good.
- 1 loaf cinnamon raisin swirl bread, torn into ¾-inch cubes (approximately 12 slices)
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups reduced-fat (2%) milk
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon fine kosher salt
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup chopped toasted pecans
- Heat oven to 350F. Combine eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Stir in bread cubes and mix until evenly coated. Let stand for about 10-15 minutes. Once bread has soaked up liquid (and there should still be some liquid remaining in the bowl. If there isn't, you can add more milk), remove it and arrange evenly in a buttered 8x8 inch baking pan.
- Bake for about 40 minutes or until bread cubes are puffy and golden brown. Serve warm or room temperature, topped with maple syrup if desired.
7 Comments
The Food Hunter
January 4, 2011 at 3:58 pmThis might just win me brownie points with my mother-in-law this weekend.
kat
December 31, 2010 at 9:50 amI love bread pudding too & breakfast ones are the best.
Victor @ Random Cuisine
December 31, 2010 at 9:31 amThat’s a wonderful tip! One of my bread pudding from last year did go soggy. I’ll sure try it out!
rebecca
December 30, 2010 at 10:25 pmlooks wonderful my mum just made bread pudding
Lauren at KeepItSweet
December 30, 2010 at 9:36 pmi’ll take french toast or bread pudding, so the combo sounds fantastic!
Joanne
December 30, 2010 at 8:14 pmNo butter?!?!? I could kiss you. This is practically health food! haha love it!
leslie
December 30, 2010 at 7:03 pmSounds delish. I make something similar but ket it soak overnight. Yum-a-licoius