Spontaneous Bread Pudding

The inspiration for this bread pudding came after eating at the Cheesecake Factory. I had a whole mini loaf of their sourdough bread leftover (because the honey wheat is far superior). It, of course, went stale overnight. I was at a loss of what to do with it, except throw it out, when I remembered that stale bread is a key ingredient of bread pudding. I followed a pretty standard  recipe, adding  coffee brandy to the suggested ingredients. I also browned the butter a bit when I melted it, giving it a richer taste.


Ingredients

* 6 slices day-old bread ( I used a mix of the Cheesecake factory sourdough, and wheat bread I had in the freezer. I think challah would probably be fantastic, or any thick white bread. )
* 2 tablespoons butter, melted
* 2-3 tablespoons coffee brandy
* 4 eggs, beaten
* 2 cups milk
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Break bread into small pieces into an 8 inch square baking pan.  Melt butter and add coffee brandy to butter.
Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped.


It came out fantastically. Rich, custardy, eggy goodness.  Try it for yourself :D