Bread Pudding

Happy OCTOBER everyone! :D

With morning temps in the 30s F, it's time for some hearty, warming dishes. As luck would have it, we had a woeful old loaf of bread hanging out in the fridge, so I decided it was time to make some bread pudding. The recipe posted here includes the adjustments I made to the original (taken from Allrecipes.com).

Ingredients

7 slices day-old bread
2 tablespoons (salted) butter, melted
1/2 cup raisins (soaked)
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
3/4 cup (scant) white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Break bread into small pieces into an 8 inch square baking pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread. If desired, sprinkle with raisins.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture. 
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped.

The only thing I want to try for next time is to reduce the sugar (since the raisins are quite sweet) and try a thicker bread. Also, let it sit for a bit before passing judgment on the texture -- it's initially a bit more custardy in consistency than I normally like, but firms up especially after being chilled. Tastes good though, and smells heavenly. Enjoy!