Reviving a Southern Staple – Bread Pudding with Nutmeg Sauce

I have always loved bread pudding. My mother used to make it compact and solid. She cut it into bars and we would grab a bar on our way through the kitchen and out the back door. She made it as a snack to use up stale bread. I now appreciate it as a classic southern dessert that can stand on its own.

You’ll find as many different variations of Bread Pudding as there are southern cooks. This recipe by Linda Carol Wilson  features a nutmeg sauce. The molasses adds another layer of flavor to this classic.

Recipe for a Southern Staple – Bread Pudding With Nutmeg Sauce

By Linda Carol Wilson

I have just never been able to master a desire for bread pudding. I know it is very popular, especially in the south. Being a native Hoosier now living in Texas, I am thankful Texas is not really considered the South even though we border the Gulf of Mexico and Mexico. Here we are more concerned with Tex-Mex than bread pudding. Strange at it sounds, my first experience with this southern delight was when I lived in New York City! But for you Bread Pudding aficionados, here is a recipe featuring nutmeg sauce.

BREAD PUDDING WITH NUTMEG SAUCE
1 cup dry bread crumbs (not fine)
2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp molasses
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter or spray a 2-quart casserole dish or baking pan; set aside.

Put the bread crumbs in the milk and set aside to soak.

In a medium mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together. Add the molasses and blend in. In a small bowl combine the flour cinnamon, allspice, ground cloves, and baking soda. Mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Stir in the bread crumbs and milk along with the raisins. When well blended, pour into the prepared casserole dish or pan. Bake at 325 degrees until set, about one hour.

NUTMEG SAUCE FOR BREAD PUDDING

1 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 cups water
1/8 tsp nutmeg

In a heavy saucepan combine the sugar and cornstarch. Add the water and cook over medium heat until thickened and clear, stirring almost constantly. Remove from the heat and add the nutmeg, stirring well. Serve hot over the bread pudding.

Enjoy!

For more of Linda’s dessert recipes visit her blog at http://ladybugssweettreats.blogspot.com

For her diabetic dessert recipes visit her at http://diabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.com