January 22: English Bread Pudding

Here is how I made this bread pudding. First I gathered up the ingredients:

 

I tore up the bread, poured 1 3/4 cups of milk over top, and let it sit for 30 minutes:

 

After that I added the chopped apple, dried fruit, and 1/2 cup of chopped nuts. I used pecans:

 

Then I mixed up 1/2 stick of melted butter, an egg, 1/3 cup of brown sugar, some cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. I poured that mixture over top. I didn't read the directions well enough. I thought it said to just pour it on top and cook it, but I was supposed to stir it up well. I didn't stir it:

 

I let it cook for 3 1/2 hours on low, and then I stirred it:

 

And served it:

 

Today was the coldest day of the winter so far. When I left to take my daughter to school this morning it was -11 degrees. Fahrenheit! I had to go pick up the girl I babysit after school, and I was outside for a short length of time. But when we got home, we were chilled to the bone. I cannot tell you how nice it was to come home to a sweet, hot, cinnamon-spiced bread pudding! It was so delicious, so warming, an absolutely perfect afternoon snack for a day like today. I ate so much of this, that I couldn't eat anything for dinner. I think I ate at least 4 big bowl fulls! My husband normally hates bread pudding and anything with soggy bread. But this bread was not soggy at all. It just tasted like sweet, warm bread slightly toasted, scented with spices and mixed with fruit. Even he liked it!

 

Here is what I would do differently next time:

1. Spray or line the crockpot before I put anything in it. The stuff stuck really bad.

2. Put a little more liquid or another egg into the mixture that you pour over top.

3. Definitely read the directions and mix it up after you pour it on top.

 

On a different note, tonight I twisted my ankle and fell coming down the stairs. I did it last year too. Hopefully it won't be as bad as it was last year, and I will be able to function. We'll see.