Zucchini bread will probably fall apart and get mushy in bread pudding. It'll be a lot better if you put something airy and glutinous with it. Best bet would be a braided challah because of the long strands and airy crumb. Don't cut the challah too small--let it give some structure and something for the zucchini bread to cling to. And, whatever you do, don't stir it a lot or you'll have zucchini bread soup. You can soak the challah in the custard, but your best bet, for your star ingredient, would be to fill up your pan with the breads, as densely as you can, so the zucchini bread doesn't dissolve, pour on the custard/flavoring mix, and add as much bread as you can. You can press at this point. Just don't squash it too hard. A plastic plate to keep the bread down would be better than a real weight. For the custard, you're right to cut the sugar. If you want it to be a sweet dessert maybe add a little, but it shouldn't require it to be good, especially if you're planning a hard sauce. You could also add some dried fruit to add sweetness, instead. Soak it in the custard for an hour before you mix with the bread. Or you could macerate the dried fruit in liqueur and cook off the alcohol. I haven't tried this, but it occurs to me that an alternative to a traditional bread pudding that might work is to slice the zucchini bread maybe half the height of the pan, dry the slices, then line the pan in two layers of slices and pour the custard over. Let the custard settle and soak in and add more to fill the pan, and maybe another round if it needs it. That would be a lot less stirring and squishing, and the large pieces would have more integrity. More like making a French toast pie. If you want to add fruit, nuts, etc., do it between the layers of bread. Good luck!

LOL!! I can't imagine throwing away perfectly good food just because it's left over. Or throwing away a block of cheese when you can cut off the offending bit. Do people do that? The bread pudding was good hot, but it was approaching awesome as it cooled, and this kind of thing is always better the next day.

This is the one I use. I made it first for a school event using sourdough bowls from another school event. I couldn't use a whiskey sauce (no alcohol permitted), but the caramel is great with it. The Best Bread Pudding 2 eggs 2 tablespoons melted butter 2 tablespoons vanilla 2 1/2 cups milk 2 cups sugar 3 1/2 to 5 cups sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes 1/3 cup pecans, chopped finely Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat together eggs, butter, vanilla, and milk. Add sugar and mix until sugar is dissolved. Arrange bread cubes tightly in a nine-inch baking dish, keeping the crust facing up around the edges in scattered within the dish. Pour liquid over the bread. Sprinkle pecans all over and bake for 55 to 70 minutes, or until crust is golden brown all over the top. While the bread pudding is baking, make one of the sauces Whiskey Cream Sauce: 1/2 cup sugar 1 stick butter 1/2 cup cream 1/4 cup Jack Daniels Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Stir constantly over low heat until mixture reaches a low boil. Pour a small amount over the individual servings of bread pudding. Store leftovers in fridge. Walk by every hour and pop a cube of bread in your mouth. Smile contently. Caramel Sauce 1/2 c butter 1/2 c brown sugar 1/2 c white sugar 1 half pint container whipping or heavy cream Stir together over medium heat until it boils. Remove from heat and add 1 tsp vanilla. Serve.

LOL, AnnT, I knew you'd approve. Mother says the raisins remind her of little dead bugs in there. (snicker) Some apricots might be really good, though, or some of your caramel sauce and I was thinking about raspberries. Sorry, LindaC. PM, now that sounds like dessert! I'm still passing mine off as breakfast. I think we'll always be on Weight Watchers, Elery keeps calling it a "lifestyle". He's lost 90 pounds and I think he's too thin, but he just won't give it up. Colleen, I'm thinking Amanda would love it, made with gluten free bread and coconut milk, I'm definitely going to have to do that. Martha, my bread never gets thrown away. Most times it becomes bread crumbs, but this is a much better use of challah, I think. Nancy, I've seen french toast and bread pudding made with pumpkin or banana bread, but never an unsweetened type. Now that's a lucky accident, you could call that "recipe development"! SheilaJoyce, I don't have that cookbook, but that sounds just like the bread pudding Grandma made, with vanilla and cinnamon and lots of custard. I always figured it was because us kids ate nearly all of the bread and didn't leave that much, so more eggs than bread. Mother is having some more of it right now with coffee, she says all her pills are easier to take with bites of bread pudding to help them down. Yeah, that's her story... Annie