When we were younger, my mom used to bake for us bread pudding from Nutribun, those bread sold in grade school canteens way back when...okay, I guess not everyone got to know nor heard of Nutribun, the bread shaped in a bun which was sold in public elementary schools as part of the feeding program. And since my mom was a grade school teacher, she often would take home Nutribun and made them into bread pudding. My sisters and I would help my Mom tear the Nutribun into pieces and watch my mom soak them in evaporated milk, mixed in some eggs, sugar and raisins (sometimes pineapple tidbits), and baked in Wonder Oven, as that was the closest thing to an oven for us. The result is a delicious pudding for merienda.

Bread puddings are I guess the easiest baked goodies to make for they only involved soaking and mashing of bread then dumping the rest of the ingredients together.
Nowadays, our family pudding has evolved from Nutribun to pandesal, some recipes even used croissants. There are lots of pudding recipes I have read but I think this is the best one I have tasted, not just because I baked it myself, but it truly smells and tastes delicious. Plus it is a great way to use day-old pandesal, instead of leaving it in the bread basket to harden.

When I first baked this recipe (an original by Stella Daza, and reprinted in Food Magazine), it was an instant hit with my food-loving family. I modified the recipe a bit; instead of just mashing the bread by the use of a spoon, I placed the bread soaked in milk in a blender and blended it for a few seconds on high. The mixture then became smooth, and the result was a pudding with a texture close to leche flan. Yummy!! I also used pineapple tidbits instead of raisins (as my family preferred pineapple) and orange extract instead of vanilla for an orange-y taste. My sister would want me to overbake it a little because the toasted part of the pudding is really good, as the butter-brown sugar mixture caramelized well; and the cinnamon's aroma would certainly whet your appetite. And oh...you may want to leave it inside the oven after the baking time to allow pudding to adjust to room temperature, as the blending somehow incorporated air, which results to a pudding which rises as it is baked, but will go back to normal level once it is cooled.

The final baked product was very much appreciated by my family. My niece Jacque one time just sat in front of the oven waiting for the pudding to get done. John is not fond of sweets but when I brought some when I visited him in Pangasinan, he and Nanay Lolit and the rest of the family liked it very much as well, and often requests me to bake for him.

Here is the recipe for Bread Pudding. You may want to use the original recipe, or try mine. Either way, brace yourself for compliments...and be sure to save a slice for yourself for this will be devoured faster than you baked it!!!

This is best served chilled...with a nice hot cup of coffee. Yummy!!!

BREAD PUDDING

1 ¼ c. condensed milk (1 regular-sized can)
1 ½ c. evaporated milk (1 big can)
½ c. water ("rinse" the condensed milk can with this)
5 c. cubed pandesal (at least 1 day old)
4 eggs
1 c. white sugar
1 tsp orange extract
(original recipe used vanilla extract)
1 small can pineapple tidbits, drained
(original recipe used ½ c. raisins)
½ c. butter (1 stick, use Anchor butter, unsalted)
½ c. brown sugar (do not pack if you don't like it too sweet)
1 tbsp cinnamon

· In a large bowl, mix together condensed milk, evaporated milk and water. Soak pandesal in milk mixture for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 ºF.
· Blend the milk-pandesal mixure in a blender on high for about 10 seconds until smooth. (Original recipe called for mashing the pandesal until soft.)
· Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well with a wooden spoon after each addition.
· Stir in white sugar and vanilla . Set aside.
· In a small bowl, mix together butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread butter mixture on bottom of 9” x 9” baking pan. Scatter the pineapple tidbits (or raisins) in the pan before pouring the mixture.
· Pour mixture into pan. Bake in heated oven 30 to 35 minutes. Cool.

joy whipped up this dish... @ 2:16 PM

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