Almost vegan strawberry bread pudding

Hello from pretty but overcast Alaska! California was fabulous and I ate approximately 9 tons of fresh organic fruit and vegetables, including one apricot that was home to a worm.

While Joe and I took over my sister's teeny tiny apartment, Joe made six loaves of bread, most of which went stale because A) um, we had six loaves of bread and B) most were sitting out on the counter and C) did I mention there were six loaves? So I decided to spend one morning relaxing and baking bread pudding with one of the loaves of bread, which was now so stale it could serve as a weapon. As a bonus, I had the apartment to myself so I decided to bake without pants. I hate pants. My sister Mia mentioned that one of her favorites stories about me was when I came home from school one day and promptly changed into a robe so I could lounge around without pants. My dad observed me sprawled out on the couch in my robe and told me to put on some clothes, to which I said with extreme exasperation, "But dad, I've been wearing pants ALL DAY."

I baked a fair amount in my robe last year but because I didn't want to scar Brian for life, I couldn't wander around without pants. So my morning of baking pantless was a real treat. This is also why I don't have friends.



I decided to try to make a vegan bread pudding because I was planning on taking it to Mia's birthday dinner, hosted by her vegan friend Miriam. I also wanted to incorporate fruit into the bread pudding because Joe and I bought an excessive amount of fruit at a farmer's market. To keep it vegan, I subbed rice milk for milk and left out the eggs. Of course, I realized Mia only had salted margarine when I was almost done with the bread pudding. So I ended up using butter instead because did I mention I wasn't wearing any pants and was determined to keep it that way? Going to the store was out the question, clearly. So the bread pudding ended up not being vegan after all because I suck.

Here's the recipe I modified:

Jam and Bread Pudding, courtesy of Bobby Flay/Food Network

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 loaf brioche, sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons strawberry preserves
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• Fresh strawberries, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish. Arrange half of the brioche along the bottom of the dish, and cut or tear the slices to fit. Spread 3/4 cup of the jam on top and cover with the remaining bread.

Whisk the eggs, sugar, 2 1/2 cups of the milk, and the vanilla together; pour over the bread. Press to soak and brush the top with 4 tablespoons of the melted butter. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for 15 minutes longer or until the pudding is set. Remove from the oven.

Preheat the broiler. In a bowl, whisk the remaining 1 tablespoon of milk with the confectioners' sugar. Stir in the remaining melted butter and jam until the mixture is smooth. Spread the mixture over the top of the pudding, place under the broiler, and broil until the glaze is golden. Serve hot or warm, garnished with fresh strawberries.

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Though I didn't completly veganize this, it worked fine without eggs and with rice milk instead of regular and it would be very yummy vegan. I also used one loaf of french bread, raspberry jam instead of strawberry and I added about a cup of sliced strawberries on top of the jam layer. I didn't do the glaze either. The recipe is pretty adaptable.



But it was really quite good. I think it would've been better if it was all the vegan or all the way 'regular' because it was kind of in a weird inbetween stage. It was all quickly eaten at Mia's birthday party though. I preferred this to a lot of other bread puddings I've tried, maybe because I've had so much of the whole cinnamon raisen bread pudding and this was a nice switch up. A lot of bread puddings also do a whiskey or rum sauce, which, since I dislike alcohol, I am totally not into. This would be great for breakfast.

Check back, I'm still one post behind on California goodies and I'm beginning to make Alaska treats as well.