Bread Pudding

Ingredients

680 grams stale bread (Pain baguette is ideal)
100 grams melted butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water (room temperature)
1/2 cup dried sultanas
1/2 cup rum or whisky
4 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons orange rind grated
2 eggs
3 tablespoons natural vanilla essence

Method

Soak the sultanas in the rum or whisky.

Soak the bread in the milk and water for 30 minutes. Break the bread in small pieces. Add the butter, orange rind, eggs and 2 1/2 tablespoons of natural vanilla essence. Hand work the mixture and add more water if necessary to form a firm and smooth dough, but not watery.

Add the sultanas and rum (or whisky) and work into the mixture until well distributed.

Heat up the oven to 200 degrees centigrade.

Place an oven earthenware or oven glass dish (of a suitable size) on the kitchen table ready to receive the prepared pudding dough. Do not put the dough into the oven dish yet.

Place 4 tablespoons sugar into a medium saucepan, add 2 tablespoons water and 1/2 tablespoon of the natural vanilla essence.

Place the saucepan pan over low heat and slowly stir mix the mixture. Stir cook slowly until the sugar dissolves completely and the mixture starts to bubble. Continue to stir cook until the hot caramel turns golden brown. Quickly remove saucepan and pour the caramel into the oven dish. With a suitable heat resistant spatula, spread the caramel all over the oven dish bottom and half way up the sides.

Place the bread pudding dough into the oven dish and distribute evenly until surface is level all round,

Put dish in oven (middle position) and allow to cook until the bread pudding reaches a golden brown colour on top. Reduce oven temperature to 160 degree centigrade. Test the pudding mixture at intervals with a cake skewer. When the skewer comes out clean, your pudding is cooked.

Remove from oven and allow to cool in the oven dish.

When the oven dish and pudding are thoroughly cold, carefully detach pudding from around the sides of the oven dish with a flat knife to stop the pudding from sticking to the sides.

Place an upside down serving plate on top of the oven dish. Carefully invert the oven dish and the serving plate together in one go.
Carefully remove the oven dish from the top of the bread pudding. Carefully cut into slices with a sharp knife. Enjoy and think of the times when Grand Mère used to prepare this poudine for you.

Source

Madeleine's recipe : Bread PuddingDiscover more of Madeleine’s Mauritian cuisine in‘Best of Mauritian Cuisine’ by Madeleine and Clancy Philippe