Mamaw Didn’t Make Bread Pudding With A Hacksaw

I forgot my fancy bread! It sat on the cabinet and petrified. Dang!

It’s another one of those “don’t you just hate it when” moments. I go to the grocery store with a list (just like Susie J tells me to do), but when I get near the bread, the aroma overwhelms me and I fall for one of those “homemade” loaves. Then, I forget to eat it.

Those loaves are not inexpensive! I looked at this bread and thought, “What a shame to feed that to the squirrels … besides it would break their little teeth!” Of course, if it broke their little teeth then those squirrels couldn’t chew through my rafters, could they?

I considered keeping that loaf of bread. It was like a rock. I figured that one day I might need a hammer or a nutcracker. Perhaps I could use that bread as a bat to protect myself from home invaders. But, we don’t have home invaders very often. Besides, how imposing would I sound if a thug broke in and I hollered,

Probably he would laugh at me, and I’d have to make good on my threat! I deplore violence.

Then, I had a brilliant thought. I told you about my Mamaw’s bread pudding, and the delicious version that is served at The Bronx Cafe in Dallas. My Mamaw would not have wasted this bread! I decided I wouldn’t either.

I went digging through my cookbooks; I have hundreds of them, most of which I have never opened. Usually, I just cook by throwing things together. Usually, you can tell that without my saying it.

I found a recipe that called for one pound of “French style” bread. This was Italian. Awww … French … Italian … they all look the same to me. So, I got out my hammer and my hacksaw and reduced that bread to rubble. I’m not sure my Mamaw ever used a hacksaw in her cooking.

Then, I looked at the recipe to see what other ingredients were required. Usually, this would be your first step. But, this ain’t Mamaw’s kitchen! The recipe called for:

Fortunately, I had all those things, but I had a little problem, because I only had half a pound of bread. That meant I had to do math, which is always difficult for me. Have you ever tried to divide an egg in half so you can get one and a half eggs? It’s tricky, I tell you what!

But, I managed, and I mixed the ingredients together with the bread pebbles. Optionally, this recipe said I could use 1/4 cup of pecans and 1/4 cup of raisins in this pudding. I didn’t have any raisins, although, if I looked hard enough I might find some wilted grapes in the back of the fridge. That didn’t sound appetizing, but I had craisins so I substituted.

I put 1/2 of the goop in a casserole dish (that I had prepared with spray on oil). Then, I added the layer of pecans and craisins and topped it with the second half of bread goop.

After letting it all set on the counter for fifteen minutes (to give the milk time to try to penetrate the bread), I baked it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Hey, it wasn’t Mamaw’s pudding, but it was pretty darned tasty!

Now, if I had possessed some buttermilk, I could have made the “Bourbon Sauce” that goes with it. I couldn’t figure out a substitute for buttermilk, so I’ll just have to consume the bourbon on the rocks.

Other posts you might enjoy:

1. Bread Pudding That Is Worth The Wait
2. Resurrected Rye
3. Leavening
4. Pasta Salad from Leftovers
5. Stuff It

Tagged as: frugality, in the kitchen, recipes