Gluten-Free Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce

Normally when a loaf of bread doesn't turn out quite right or we have leftover pieces of a loaf, we freeze them and eventually make gluten-free stuffing.  Which took a long time to get enough together unless I made a batch of bread specifically to add to the pieces due to the cost of store-bought bread or even the bread mixes in a box.


A couple months ago, DH and I started mixing up our own "all-purpose gluten-free flours".  Guess what?!  We ended up with quite a few loaves of bread that tasted good or looked nice but weighed too much.  Had we shellacked them, they would have made great door stoppers.  (We now think we have come up with a flour mix that you'll really enjoy.  Will get all dusty with the details after a couple more items have been tested with the mixture.  Be on the look out!)

So, on this particular night, we made gluten-free bread pudding.  A dessert I haven't been able to enjoy for far too many years than I care to remember.  It is also one of DH's favorite desserts.

This recipe is adapted from Better Homes and Gardens "New Cook Book" and is a simple yet elegant dessert.  In fact, it starts out as though you were going to make croutons.  Slice the bread into cubes, place them evenly on a cookie sheet and bake them for 10 to 15 minutes at 350F, stirring twice.

I didn't actually follow the first step.  Oh, I cut the bread into cubes but didn't bake them.  My thought was that I wanted the pudding to be moist and on the order of a souffle or a dessert casserole.  It was moist and remained that way over the next couple days until completely eaten.  The Whiskey Sauce was more of an added flavor enhancer than actually making the dessert moist.

Ingredients

• 4 Eggs, beaten (if you're making the whiskey sauce along with this, add the egg white from the sauce)
• 2 1/4 cups Milk, separated
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Apple Pie or Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 4 cups (or one entire loaf of bread, as in my case) Gluten-Free Bread
• 1/3 cups Raisins (soaked in a tablespoon of Whiskey or Cherry Brandy)

Soak the raisins in a 1/4 cup milk, whiskey or brandy and set aside.

Beat together the eggs, remaining milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and spice.

After baking the bread cubes place them in a 2-quart casserole dish.  Stir in the raisin mixture.

Pour egg mixture evenly over the bread cubes and raisins.  Fold the mixture together to ensure all the bread cubes are covered.

Bake on the center rack at 350F for 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  You may need to cover the pudding with aluminum foil to prevent the top from drying out too much.  This will depend on your oven or preference.

Serve warm with Whiskey Sauce.

Enjoy!

P.S.,  How do you use your leftover bread?  What foods have you been craving since your dietary needs have changed?  If you have a favorite recipe that uses leftover bread, we welcome your link but please add our link on your page.

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