Fine! I’ll admit it: I’m a sucker for clearance bread. In fact, it’s usually the only reason I go to the grocery store. Well, that and to supply my (probably) unhealthy cheese and sour cream addiction. I’m the kind of gal who shops the perimeter of the grocery store, usually buying a few essentials that I can’t grow or make myself. And yes, you hardcore homesteaders can argue that I could make my own cheese, and I have … occasionally (I have a killer ricotta recipe.). But, sometimes I just give in to convenience.
And yes, I bake a lot of bread, muffins, cakes, and the like. However, there’s something about that yellow manager’s special sticker that overpowers my better judgement, and I end up with a cart full of gluten goodness.
When I find that the pantry is full of, say, hamburger or hotdog buns, I need to come up with something to use them so that I don’t end up with bags-o-mold. Sure, you could substitute the buns with some fancy-pantsy brioche or challah bread, but those items are not usually on clearance for 50 cents a bag.
I usually end up making this bombdiggity bread pudding recipe, not only because it utilizes my clearance-bread stash, but makes a dent my duck egg supply, as well. Warm, cinnamony bread pudding with a hint of rum (extract, because, you know, I have kids), this recipe is perfect for a relaxed weekend morning. I have made this for our Christmas morning breakfast, and I must say, the smell of this bread pudding baking in the oven, wafting through the house as we open our presents, adds to the magic of the day (Dang, that sounds really poetic.). No artificial house-perfume-plug-in-thingy can compare.
Go ahead and make a full recipe. Even if you’re a single person, or empty nesters, and this recipe makes too much for you to eat in a few days, this bread pudding freezes really well. Once completely cooled, I like to cut individual portions, wrap them in plastic wrap, and put them into a freezer bag. When I want a treat, I simply pull one out of the freezer and pop it into my toaster oven for 10 – 15 minutes (“Cooking” or warming food in microwaves make me gag, so I have no idea how long to put it in there.). It’s just the right amount of time to fire up the coffee pot for some fan-freakin’-tastic brew.
Duck Egg Bread Pudding Crumble
Ingredients
• 1 package stale hamburger buns (or whatever is on clearance), torn into pieces
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• 6 duck eggs (OR, 8 chicken eggs if you don’t have an awesome duck like mine)
• 2 ½ cups whole milk
• ¾ cup granulated cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon rum extract (OR 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
Instructions
1. In a greased 9-x-13-inch pan, add bread pieces and sprinkle with cranberries.
2. In a bowl, whisk eggs, milk, sugar, and extract. Pour over the bread.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and lightly push down to make sure the bread is covered with the milk mixture.
4. Put in the fridge for 8 hours, or overnight.
Crumble Topping
Instructions
• ½ cup quick oats
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ? teaspoon cloves
• 1 stick butter, cut into pats
Instructions
1. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Add butter pats to the oat mixture. With hands, incorporate butter into the oat mixture by squeezing the butter into smaller bits, until it resembles crumbles.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
4. Remove the pan from the fridge, and remove the plastic wrap. Evenly sprinkle the crumble topping over the bread mixture.
5. Bake for 45 – 60 minutes, or until it is set firm in the middle.
Serve warm with maple syrup, caramel sauce, or (and) vanilla ice cream. Refrigerate leftovers.
Corinne Gompf is a writer and hobby farmer in Morrow County, Ohio. She is a graduate from the University of Toledo, with a BA in English, creative writing concentration. Along with her husband, Matt, and two children, Fletcher and Emery, Corinne raises poultry, Boer goats, rabbits, and chemical-free produce. Connect with Corinne on her Heritage Harvest Farm Facebook page.
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