Texas Style Old Time Bread Pudding

When I was growing up I spent a lot of time with my grandparents on my father’s side. They had a ranch in the Texas Hill Country and we spent most of the summer there working on the ranch. My grandmother’s family was from Germany and she made fantastic German foods. It was easy to overeat as there was always lots of food on the table when Papa and I would come in from working cattle or some other chore. She made homemade biscuits, breads, rolls, pastries and other goodies. She saved all the leftovers and sometimes when she had a bunch of leftover bakery items she would put them all into this wonderful dish called bread pudding. I loved her bread pudding except for the raisins so I picked those out. She also put lemon extract in the sauce to pour on the bread pudding. I am not a big fan of the lemon extract in icings or pound cakes so I use Scotch instead. You will understand why when you taste it.

I do not put raisins in the bread puddings that I make but you can if you like. I sometimes add apples or peaches or put in a left over fruit pie or cobbler. The neat thing is you can put whatever you like into it and make it your favorite way. In deer camps I have used bread, biscuits, rolls, fried pies, doughnuts, honey buns, cinnamon rolls and muffins to make bread pudding. They all turned out great so use whatever you have left over in the bakery department. I sometimes make a trip to the bakery day old shop just to get the makings for a bread pudding. It is that good. The sauce is made with Scotch, Irish whiskey or Bourbon whatever is your favorite. When I cook for groups this is always a favorite desert and will become one of yours if you try it. The guys at deer camp sometimes put a dip of Blue Bell homemade vanilla ice cream on top of this dish but that is almost sinful.

Thanks Mama for all you cooked for me in your lifetime.
I miss you much, Wild Ed


Old Fashioned Bread Pudding with Scotch Sauce

Large mixing bowl full of leftover breads, biscuits or rolls. Mix all of the following and pour over bread and let soak in well.

2 cups sugar
4 eggs
4 cups milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 stick of melted butter
2 teaspoons of Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon of Allspice
Dash of Cloves
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans

When mixture is soaked in bread stir just enough to mix and spoon or pour into greased bread pans, cake pan or Bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until golden brown and an inserted toothpick will come out clean.

Scotch Sauce

Bring the following to a bubble reduce to low heat and simmer until thickened. Pour over bread pudding as served.
1 ¼ cup powdered sugar
1 stick of butter
¼ cup of milk
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup of chopped pecans
1 shot of scotch poured into sauce and stirred in just before taking off the stove.
If you want the sauce thicker just stir in more powdered sugar.
Serve, sit back and enjoy the compliments.