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Cranberry Bread Pudding

Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 5 cups
Author Stephanie Chavez

Ingredients

  • 5 cups french bread baguette
  • 1 3/4 cup half & half
  • 2 tablespoons piloncillo or brown sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • optional 1/4 teaspoon dried 5 spice powder (anise seed, cinnamon, ginger, fennel, clove)
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 tablespoons homemade cranberry sauce
  • butter for coating ramekins
  • slivered almonds for garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 275. Prepare the bread by cutting it into small cubes about an inch in size. Toast in the oven at 275 degrees for 20 minutes.
  2. While the bread is toasting: On medium heat, in a 2 quart size pot, add the half & half, piloncillo, cinnamon stick, vanilla extract, and 5 spice powder if using. Heat and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Do not bring the milk to a boil! Once it looks like it's about to boil, turn off the heat and transfer the milk into another bowl to cool down. Set it aside.
  3. Prepare the ramekins by coating the inside of each one with butter. Set them aside.
  4. By now the bread should be done being toasted. Remove it from the oven and set it aside.
  5. Bring out a large baking dish and add warm water at least 1/3 - 1/2 way full. Place it inside the oven on the middle rack, close the door, and raise the temp to 350 degrees.
  6. Fill the ramekins evenly with the bread. Keep them nearby because you’re about to put it all together in just a minute.
  7. In another small bowl, whisk the eggs well. Add the eggs to the cooled milk SLOWLY, whisking as you pour in the egg. Keep whisking until all the egg is mixed in well.
  8. Strain the cranberry sauce to remove as much of the syrup/juice from the sauce as possible. If it has thickened from being in the fridge, warm it up for about 15 seconds in the microwave. That should help the syrup separate a little easier from the cranberries. Set the syrup aside. Add the cranberries to the milk and eggs and mix well with a fork.
  9. Use a ladle to pour the milk and cranberries over the bread. When filling the ramekins, take turns filling them one ladle full at a time. You want to make sure they all get an even amount of milk and cranberries. Keep pouring the milk one after the other until you've used it all up. Let the bread soak in the milk for about 10 minutes.
  10. After 10 minutes, place ramekins inside the bath of hot water in the oven. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. When done, slowly remove them from the oven and drizzle some of the reserved cranberry syrup on top. Garnish with hand crushed slivered almonds if desired.