Bread pudding is a specialty of my father-in-law Dick... he doesn't use a recipe so Ken took notes one day and this is what he came home with! The amounts are approximate for a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish, and will vary depending on the bread you use and how stale it is. I love bread pudding made with whole wheat bread, as long as there's no whole grain or seeds in the bread to spoil the custardy texture of the bread pudding.
INGREDIENTS
2 c milk
4 c coarse bread crumbs
1/4 c melted butter
1/2 c sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c raisins
1 tsp cinnamon or nutmeg
Heat the milk to scalding, then pour over the bread crumbs.
Let cool.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Add the other ingredients.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until done.
Basically bread pudding is a custard made solid by the bread. The important thing is that it be moist. (It can be dry if the proportion of bread is too high for the amount of liquid.) I usually make a slightly larger amount, putting the bread into my 4 quart bowl (but not filling it), and using 4 c milk and 3-4 eggs. If your raisins are on the dry side, just plump them up in the milk as it cools.
Shirley tells me that Dick mixes the ingredients right in the casserole. Dick and Shirley save stale bread in the freezer, so he can make bread pudding any time! Yummmmm...