From the blog For Love of the Table
1/3 c. orange juice
2/3 c. dried cranberries
1/3 of a loaf of bakery Challah (a scant 6 oz. bread), sliced 1/2-inch thick (you will have about 5 or 6 slices of bread)
2 T. melted butter
2/3 c. whole milk
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
1/3 c. plus 1 T. sugar
pinch of salt
4 oz. white chocolate, chopped
4 eggs
1/2 t. vanilla
Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a shallow 2-quart baking pan or 6 to 8 individual ramekins/shallow baking dishes. Set aside.
Place the orange juice and cranberries in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the cranberries are softened and all of the orange juice has been absorbed or is evaporated. Set aside.
Meanwhile, cut the crusts off of the bread and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of cubed bread. Toss the cubed bread with the melted butter and spread on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until it is a light golden brown—about 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In a saucepan, bring the milk, cream, 1/3 cup of the sugar and salt to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Let the mixture sit for a moment or two without stirring to allow the heat to penetrate the chocolate. Whisk until smooth.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla extract until smooth. Continue to whisk and gradually add the hot cream mixture. Strain the custard.
Scatter the cranberries over the bottom of the prepared baking dish(es). Follow with the bread. (If you are using individual-sized ramekins, be careful to divide the ingredients evenly.) Pour the custard over all and use a fork or spatula to press the bread cubes down into the custard. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes or so to allow the bread to absorb the custard.
When ready to bake, remove the plastic. Carefully press the bread down into the custard one more time (it will float back to the top, but you want to make sure it is well saturated with custard). Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of sugar over the surface of the pudding. Place the baking dish in a roasting pan (lined with a kitchen towel or a couple layers of paper towels) and add boiling water to the roasting pan to come half way up the sides of the puddings. Transfer to the preheated oven and bake until the custard is set, puffed and golden on top (a knife inserted in the center will come out clean)—about 25 to 30 minutes for individual puddings and 30 to 45 minutes for a large pudding. Serve warm, dusted with powdered sugar.
Serves 6 to 8
(Recipe adapted from ButterSugar Flour Eggs, by Gale Gand)
Notes & Variations:
I prefer a bread pudding that is light on the bread and heavy on the custard. If you prefer a less custard-y bread pudding, double the amount of bread and butter.
Omit the cranberries and orange juice for a plain white chocolate bread pudding.
If you like, you may divide the cranberries, scattering half to two-thirds of them over the bottom of the baking dish and then scattering the remaining cranberries over the pudding right before baking.
For a richer custard, replace one of the whole eggs with three egg yolks.
http://www.forloveofthetable.com/2014/02/white-chocolate-cranberry-bread-pudding.html