Bread Pudding Memories

The other day, someone brought in bread pudding to work and shared a piece with me. When I first took a look at it, I was immediately reminded of my own mother's bread pudding recipe and how this one closely resembled my mom's in appearance. I loved my mom's bread pudding. It was dense in texture with lots of raisins and chunks of pineapple, with hints of nutmeg, cinammon and vanilla. It was pure comfort food for me as a child and as an adult. While my coworker's bread pudding didn't taste as fabulous as my mom's, it sure came close. I began thinking of making some bread pudding of my own and wouldn't you know it, we were planning yet another potluck for work. So, guess what I ended up bringing? Yup, bread pudding. Since I had an abundance of over-ripened bananas on my kitchen counter I decided to include bananas in the recipe. This is a recipe I adapted from Chef Frank Brigsten of Brigsten's Restaurant in New Orleans.

I incorporated several different types of bread, pretty much whatever I had stored in my freezer. I used a few slices of cinnamon raisin bread, some homemade white bread, and even some hot dog buns! I also added dried apricots, pecans, and shredded coconut for some extra yumminess. So how was the end result? Well, the proof is in the pudding, so to speak! My bread pudding was a hit with the co-workers. The nice thing about this pudding is it can be eaten either warm or at room temperature which makes it just perfect for those office potlucks.

Enjoy!

Banana Apricot Bread Pudding

About 6 cups of bread, torn up (use whatever you have on hand--can be a mix of different kinds)

2 cups milk (I used non-fat)

3 large eggs

2/3 cup sugar

3 ripe bananas smashed

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place bread cubes in a greased 9x12x2 inch baking pan. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, banana, cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg. Pour mixture over the bread and then fold in the apricots and pecans. Moisten the bread completely with the mixture and let this set for about 20 minutes. Top with small pieces of butter, and sprinkle with the coconut flakes.

Bake for 1 hour and then allow to cool to room temperature.

You can top this with ice cream, whip cream, or just eat it by itself. It's that good!