This may gross some of you out, but yesterday I found some free bread on the ground. Today I plan to make some New Orleans-style bread pudding.  Let me explain: my son's preschool is across the street from a giant bakery, one that makes po-boy bread for restaurants. (The air around his school often smells like baking bread, adding to the wholesome charm,  although the yeasty smell also makes me think of breweries, like in Milwaukee, where I'm originally from.)

Anyway. Occasionally, they must have some leftover or day-old bread because there was a big bag of perfectly good po-boy loaves on the playground down the street, presumably left for the taking. Now, I used to volunteer with Food Not Bombs, so I'm no stranger to dumpster diving or freegan food. I checked it over carefully: it was not even stale. I let my kid eat some, and we took a big loaf home.

I cut this recipe from a magazine (don't know which one) a long time ago. It's pretty close to the bread puddings I've tasted around town. The only exception is pineapple: I find pineapple in local puddings but this recipe doesn't call for it. Personally, I don't care for the pineapple, but I imagine it could be tossed in with the raisins (maybe reduce the milk a bit to compensate for the pineapple's juiciness?). There's a recipe for bourbon sauce at the end (and strawberry sauce, too). 

Favorite Raisin-Bread Pudding

3+3/4 cups milk

5 eggs

1/2 c. sugar

1+1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/8 tsp. salt

3 +1/4 cups raisin-bread cubes (or 3 +1/4cups freegan bread cubes and 1/4 cup raisins)

ABOUT 2 HOURS BEFORE SERVING OR EARLY IN THE DAY:

Preheat oven to 325.

In 1+1/2 quart casserole with wire whisk or fork, beat milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt until blended. Stir in bread cubes (and raisins).

Set casserole in 8x8 baking pan; place pan on oven rack. Pour hot water into pan to come halfway up side of casserole. Bake in 325 degree oven for 1.25 hours or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Serve pudding warm, or cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours to serve chilled. Dump on sauce:

Bourbon Sauce

3 Tbsp butter or margarine

1 Tbsp flour

1/2 c. sugar

1 c. whipping cream

2 Tbsp. bourbon

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1 tsp. nutmeg

Melt butter in small saucepan; whisk in flour, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in sugar and whipping cream; cook 3 minutes. Stir in bourbon, vanilla, and nutmeg, and simmer 5 minutes. Try not to eat it all.

Strawberry Sauce

In food processor, blend 2 c. fresh or frozen (thawed) strawberries and 1.4 c. sugar. That's it! Unless you think it could use some rum...

Enjoy!