Bread pudding

I was talking to my sister and realized I had never posted my favorite bread pudding recipe. I keep trying it at restaurants but it is never as good as this recipe. Unfortunately I don't cook it anymore (my family won't eat anything with eggs or milk) BUT I was asked to bring a dessert to a missionary meeting and decided to fix it again. In the past, when my older children were young I made it and they would not eat it. Roger and I would take a week to eat it for breakfast; after all it is practically French Toast.

APPLESAUCE BREAD PUDDING

This is truly an outstanding bread pudding.

 Serve warm with cream or ice cream. Great for using stale bread.

SINGLE RECIPE Yield: 4 servings

Approximately 6 slices white bread or an equivalent amount of French bread, sliced in 1/2-inch slices bread slices.

 2 eggs                                                             ½  cup sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon                                      1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon mace                                           ¼ teaspoon salt                      

1 teaspoon vanilla                                           1½ cups milk                         

1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted         ¼ cup raisins (optional)

One 8-ounce jar or can applesauce

DOUBLE RECIPE

Yield: About 8 servings Approximately 12 slices white bread

or an equivalent amount of French bread, sliced in ½ inch slices

4 eggs                                                            1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon                                      ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼  teaspoon mace                                          ½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla                                         3 cups milk

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted      One 16-ounce jar or can applesauce

½ cup raisins (optional)                                  Pecans- however many you want- not finely chopped

Preheat oven to 325'F. Arrange half of bread to cover the bottom of an 11 x 7 x 2-inch baking dish (for double recipe; use a 1-quart baking dish for single recipe). If you wish, sprinkle half the raisins over the bread. In your blender or food processor, combine eggs, sugar, spices, salt, vanilla, milk, and melted butter. In a large mixing bowl combine applesauce with blended ingredients, mixing well. Pour half the mixture over the bread (add optional raisins) in the baking dish. Repeat with another layer of bread, then pour remaining applesauce-milk mixture over bread. Bake at 325'F for 1 hour, or until custard is set and bread is lightly browned. This pudding is best served warm.Today it cooked for 80 minutes in the stonewear pan I have.

The Working Person’s Cookbook by Charlotte Erickson  Chilton Book Company 1979 pg.159 (Actually the only recipe I use from this cookbook; I ought to try a few more since this one is so good. Maybe there is a Vegan recipe in there.I'll go check; oops all my cookbooks are still packed waiting for the bookcase to be built!)

I've learned with this recipe you do not want to use all homemade bread or all  whole wheat bread. The french bread is perfect although you can throw in a bit of homemade or wheat but it should be mostly French.
Although I tried; I set up the picture of ingredients- forgot the sugar, in the picture, not the pudding Then forgot to take a picture of the finished dish. So sad, I did not however forget to eat a square of it before leaving it at the church. ;) I am not a great food blogger. :(