Well the Aussie way is to butter lots of bread (raisin bread or pannettone are particularly good but plain bread is fine, I also add marmalade on the buttered bread. Cut into triangles and layer into a casserole dish. Make a custard of three eggs to 20fl oz of milk and two tablespoons of sugar and pour over buttered bread and leave to soak for at least an hour. Bake in a hot oven 200C/375F until the custard is set.

I do like Colleen....3 eggs, 2 1/2 cups of milk more sugar, unless I am using raisin bread...1/3 cup of sugar...teaspoon of vanilla and a shake of cinnamon on top....but no marmalade.
And I say bake until puffed and brown.
And I have been known to serve it with caramel sauce....warm!

My "recipe" chaanges based on what I'm using up. I'll do savory as well as sweet. Basic formula is tear or cut bread/cake/biscuits/pretzels/pastry into 1.5-2" cubes and let sit out and get stale, two eggs per cup of milk, enough to just cover stale breadstuffs in bowl, spices and flavorings, "mix-ins" of nuts, dried fruit, etc., or for savory, sausage, peppers, onions, herbs, etc. Place a plate just a bit bigger than the bowl on top and put a couple big cans of tomatos or similar weight on top. Let soak under weight at least an hour. Spoon into large baking dish, optionally adding extras such as a cinnamon ribbon, or cheese (savory). Optionally add a crumb/butter or cheese (savory) topping. I rarely add sugar to the custard. Only if the bread is very sourdough and there are nor raisins or any other sugar and it's meant to be sweet. Cheese does not go well with sweet bread pudding unless it's both mild and flavorful. Chedder can work if it's not too sharp, or maybe jack. Or sweetened cheese. Think pastry cheese. :)

There's a restaurant near here that is famous for their "White Chocolate Bread Pudding". I've never been a fan of BP, and I don't even bother to eat 'white' chocolate (no such thing. lol!), but the owner insisted that I try it. Now I look for it every time I'm there. :) No idea which recipe they use.

Mom made bread pudding with day or two or three-old cinnamon rolls.

Ah! I forgot to add, if I'm not using raisin bread/cinnamon rolls/similar I sprinkle white raisins between the layers of bread. Not so many on top because they can burn and go funny.

Mmm. Love bread pudding and I haven't made it in a long time. We always just used whatever bread was going stale, whether it was Farmhouse White or cinnamon rolls, even whole wheat. We never used rye that I can remember, but I'm not opposed to the idea of a savory bread pudding either.

Mine has eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, bread. Sometimes raisins, sometimes chocolate chips and always a "hard sauce", with sugar, butter, vanilla, milk. My favorite, though, was made with cinnamon rolls instead of the bread used in the recipe below and topped with a brown sugar based "praline" sauce, then sprinkled with chopped pecans. Oh yeah, I definitely need to make some....

Bread Pudding with Praline Sauce

• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 2 cups milk
• 1 (1 pound) loaf soft French bread, torn into small pieces
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 cups white sugar
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup raisins, or more to taste (optional)
• 1/2 pound unsalted butter
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Coat a 13x9-inch baking dish with 1/4 cup melted butter.

3. Pour half and half and milk over bread in a large mixing bowl; let soak for 10 minutes before gently stirring. Stir eggs into the bread mixture until incorporated. Add sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and raisins respectively, stirring each addition into the mixture before adding the next. Spoon bread mixture into prepared baking dish.

4. Bake in preheated oven until bread mixture is firm and pudding-like, about 50 minutes.

5. Stir 1/2 pound unsalted butter, heavy cream, and brown sugar together in a heavy saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, stir pecans into the cream mixture, and simmer until the sugar is dissolved and the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes; pour over bread pudding to serve.

Annie

Thank you one and all - especially Sammy and Annie who entered such lengthy listings.

Annie, is the amount of sugar in your recipe the correct amount? 3 cups of sugar?

cilantro, that's right, 3 cups. I'll warn you that it is very, very sweet, especially when you add that praline topping, I think you could get by with 2 cups in the pudding without missing it too much. But it's dessert, and it's rich, and you only need a little, so I use all three cups of sugar when I make it.

Annie

Thank you for the clarification and the warning!, Annie. I would have cut back on the sugar anyway but was questioning if the sugar amount was correct for the benefit of anyone else who wants to try the recipe.

Yeah, not everyone likes things as sweet as I do. I like 'em sweet and this is pretty sweet even to me. The kids never complain, though. Well, they do, about the pecans. None of them want the nuts in there, go figure.

Annie

I had never had bread pudding before until we were at a lodge in kananaskis where we were served a banana bread pudding with a whiskey sauce. The bananas were in the bread. It was to die for! I have tried to find the recipe to no avail

Made this a couple times for my late parent's card club. I originally got it from an old Emeril Lagasse show. The rum sauce added just the right touch. Used Meyer's Dark Rum as recommended. I've used french bread and brioche which were both good. What's not to like!

http://www.grouprecipes.com/79981/steves-killer-bread-pudding.html

Steve's Killer Bread Pudding

This is the recipe given to me by a friend's mother, who was an excellent cook. It is supposed to be from the Bon Ton Cafe in New Orleans.

In this context, "whiskey" means bourbon. I've been making this recipe for more than 35 years and the sauce is always grainy which is why I have a note that says "confectioners?" Sometimes I find other whiskey sauces and sometimes I just go with grainy. Sometimes, I make Vanilla Sauce.

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.

The best caramel sauce.....
1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Mix all together and simmer about 5 minutes until thickened and sugar is well dissolved...cool a little and add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract>
Straight from Ann T!! None better!