Bread Pudding with Raisins and Cranberries

I gradually stopped depending on this trio as a last-minute hunger quencher thanks to my growing intolerance towards milk and increased ability of cooking something from scratch. And then one fine day I saw Nigella Lawson making a bread pudding out of leftover croissants, milk and some eggs. It was then that I started studying about it. Not that the concept of bread pudding is very novel or modern, but when Nigella says it’s good, it HAS to be good. So the dish (okay, now I’m calling it a dish because Nigella ate it!) that had virtually been obliterated from my life made a new entrance. Now this is not a fancy dessert, not something you eat when you’re feeling exotic or cool. You eat this when you’re down, depressed. This will not transport you to a different world, but will embrace you with the comfort and warmth of your own world. This bread pudding gives the word nostalgia a new meaning.

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

Bread, cut into cubes: 12-15 slices (the staler the better, even though I used fresh)
Raisins: 3 tbsp
Dried cranberries: 2 tbsp
Eggs: 2 + 2 (only yolks)
Heavy cream: 1 cup
Whole milk: 1 cup
Caster Sugar: 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp
Vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon
Nutmeg, freshly grated: 1/4 teaspoon
Cinnamon powder: 1/4 teaspoon
Butter: 2 tbsp
Whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Method:

1. Place the bread cubes in a round/square baking pan. Sprinkle the raisins and cranberries on top of it. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk the whole eggs and the yolks. In another bowl, combine the heavy cream, sugar, milk, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon. Now add the cream mixture into the eggs and whisk constantly to combine fully.

3. Pour this egg-cream mixture over the bread cubes, press the cubes down so that all the bread is soaked completely. Let it rest for 30 minutes.

4. Sprinkle the remaining sugar on the bread, and tuck in the butter in small quantities in between the bread cubes.

5. Brush a sheet of parchment paper with butter and place it, buttered-side down, over the bread. You can also use aluminium foil or cling film to do this.

6. Place the baking dish in a larger roasting pan filled with boiling water enough to submerge half the baking pan. Preheat oven to 180 degree C and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more. Remove from oven and let stand 20 minutes before serving warm. Add a dollop of whipped cream or creme anglaise (by beating together a couple of egg yolks with some sugar and gradually adding hot milk to it) if you wish.

Notes: You can butter the bread pieces as well, for a richer effect. I didn’t do that because I can’t handle so much of unnecessary calories. 😛
Baking method adapted from Martha Stewart