Amandas Bread Pudding Food

BEST BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish with the butter.
• Toast the bread cubes on a baking sheet until they start to dry and harden, about 20 minutes. Set aside. Raise the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
• Whisk together the cream, milk, sugar, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, whole eggs and yolks in a large bowl. Add the bread to the bowl and stir until completely coated. Cover and let soak for about 30 minutes, pushing the bread down occasionally so that all the cubes are soaked. Meanwhile, pour hot water over the raisins, if using, and soak for 10 minutes. Once plumped, drain the raisins, add to the bowl of bread and gently toss.
• Pour the bread mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake until the custard is set and the top is golden brown, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold.

OLD-FASHIONED ANADAMA BREAD

Steps:

• Mix the cornmeal with the 3/4 cups cold water in a medium saucepan.
• Whisk in the boiling water and bring to a boil over medium heat.
• When the cornmeal mixture starts to boil, add the butter, molasses and salt.
• Cook until the mixture is the consistency of pudding-- stirring constantly.
• It should take about 7 minutes.
• Transfer this mixture to a large bowl and let it cool to lukewarm.
• Don't get impatient with the cooling, because if it's too hot (over 115 degrees farenheit), it will kill the yeast.
• It will form a skin on the top, but it's no big deal.
• Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a small bowl and let it sit until the yeast looks foamy.
• Stir to dissolve the yeast, then add it to the cornmeal mush.
• Just an aside about the"warm" definition in case you are a beginning bread-maker without a thermometer.
• The temperature you want is when you drop water on your wrist, it feels neither cool nor hot-- test it the way you would a baby's bottle.
• I killed yeast with too-hot water when I was starting out.
• Now back to the recipe.
• Mix the all-purpose and wheat flours together and start stirring them into the cornmeal mixture, a cup at a time to make a soft, sticky dough.
• Turn out onto a lightly floured work service and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
• You can add more flour as needed, but don't get carried away.
• Because of the molasses, the dough will stay sticky.
• As long as the dough isn't sticking excessively to the board, you have enough flour.
• I knead this with my stand mixer, and there's always a little"smear" of dough around the edges of the bowl.
• Form the dough into a ball and put it in a large, lightly oiled bowl.
• Turn the dough ball to get a little oil all over it.
• Let rise until double in size, about an hour.
• Punch the dough down (Really, just pick up the sides and let it collapse on itself. No need to be violent.), cover with a towel, and let rest in the bowl for 10 minutes.
• Get two 9-x5-inch loaf pans ready by lightly oiling them.
• After the dough's little rest, divide it into two pieces and shape each piece into a loaf.
• Put them in the loaf pans, and roll them around so they get a nice little coating of oil.
• Cover with a towel and let the loaves rise until they touch the top of the pan.
• That takes about half an hour.
• While they're rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees farenheit, and position your rack in the center of the oven.
• Slide the loaf pans in and bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375 degrees and bake until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
• Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove the loaves from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.

AMANDA'S BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Grease a 9 x 13-inch pan. Scald the milk and the half and half. Add the 1/2 stick butter and the 1/2 cup sugar. Pour over the four cups of French bread, raisins and pecans. Let sit for 15 minutes.
• Whisk together eggs, vanilla nutmeg and cinnamon. Pour over bread mixture. Bake for 350 degree for 45 minutes.
• To make the whiskey sauce over medium heat the 1 stick of butter, 1 cup sugar, evaporated milk and egg yolk. Remove from heat and then stir in 3/4 cup of whiskey.

SAVORY BREAD PUDDING WITH SAUSAGE, SPINACH, POACHED EGGS, AND PARMESAN-THYME CREAM

Steps:

• For the Parmesan-thyme cream: In a heavy-bottomed saucepot over medium-low heat, add the cream, bay leaf and garlic. Simmer until reduced by two-thirds, about 20 minutes, being careful not boil the liquid or scorch the bottom of the pot. With a slotted spoon, remove the garlic and bay leaf. Whisk in the Parmesan. When the Parmesan has melted the sauce is smooth, add the thyme, salt and pepper. Cook for another 2 minutes. Serve warm. (Make 1 quart.)
• For the savory bread pudding: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until beginning to soften, 4 minutes. Add the celery, garlic and thyme; cook for another 3 minutes. Set aside and let cool.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs, and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. In another mixing bowl place the cubed bread. Pour the milk-egg mixture over the bread and mix. Let sit for 10 minutes, until the bread has soaked up liquid. Fold in onion mixture.
• Grease an 8-by-10-inch baking dish with the butter. Add the bread mixture and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook until the top is toasted and golden brown, another 10 to 15 minutes.
• To serve, cut into 4-by-4-inch portions and place on a plate. Add a sausage patty, 1/4 cup of the spinach and two poached eggs. Pour one-quarter of the Parmesan-thyme cream over the top.

AMANDA'S HAWAIIAN BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream eggs and sugar together. Add milk and vanilla and mix well. Add Hawaiian bread (crumbled). Let bread soak in liquid mixture until very soft. Press until all bread is soaked in the liquid mixture. Add butter and mix well.
• Pour into a well-oiled 8x8 inch baking pan.
• Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Mixture will rise like a souffle. When golden brown, remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with cinnamon if desired.

ANADAMA BREAD

Steps:

• Place 1/2 cup water and cornmeal in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until mixture thickens; about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the butter or margarine and molasses. Let cool to lukewarm.
• In a small mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Let sit until creamy; about 10 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled cornmeal mixture with the yeast mixture; stir until well blended. Add 2 cups of the flour and the salt; mix well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
• Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and put in a warm place to rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and form into a loaf. Place the loaf in a lightly greased 9x5 inch loaf pan. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.
• Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

ANADAMA BREAD

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring water and cornmeal to a boil. Reduce heat; cook for 2 minutes or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; stir in molasses and butter. Cool to 110°-115°., In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the cornmeal mixture, salt and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; shape into a loaf. Place in a greased 9x5-in. loaf pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour., Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until browned (cover loosely with foil if top browns too quickly). Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.