How to make Budin de Pan - Puerto Rican Bread Pudding

This is a really good bread pudding. Everyone who has tasted it loves it. Since this is Puerto Rican bread pudding, there is another step to it. Like our beloved flan, you must make the caramel sauce for it. But wait until you try it. You will see that it is worth the extra effort. This pudding will cook in about 1-1/2 hours.

You will need two baking dishes, one to fit into the other one. You will be making this budín in a baño de maria, also referred to as a water bath.

Preheat oven to 350°

INGREDIENTS FOR THE PUDDING:

1 loaf Pan de Agua, Italian or French Bread – 2 or 3 days old

4 cups hot milk

4 eggs – scrambled

4 tbsp. butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup raisins

1 tsp. pure vanilla

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. ground cloves

Pinch of salt

Slice edges (crust) off the bread and cut bread into pieces.

Place bread in a big bowl and pour the hot milk over the bread.

Gently push down bread with a fork so that the bread soaks up all the milk. Let the mixture stand 10 minutes.

Beat eggs in another bowl and add to the bread-milk mixture. Add the melted butter and stir carefully to combine. Set aside.

In another bowl combine the sugar with the rest of the ingredients. Add the sugar mixture to the bread mixture and softly combine. Set aside.

MAKE THE CARAMEL SAUCE:

1-1/2 cups sugar

3 tbsp. water

Place the sugar and water in a pot or pan on medium-high heat. If you use a non-stick pan you will be better off because the clean-up will be extremely easy. Otherwise, you will be scrubbing and rubbing and you won't like that. When sugar melts and then hardens, it really hardens!

You really don't have to stir the sugar as it will melt on it's own. You want it to turn a caramel color but you don't want it to burn.

IMMEDIATELY, and I mean IMMEDIATELY, pour the caramel sauce into the smaller baking dish. Then quickly coat the baking dish with the sauce, turning the dish all around so that the caramel sauce also coats the sides of the dish. You will now see just how quickly sugar hardens. In fact, it really is amazing how hard sugar gets will it hardens. Also, be very careful because you don't want to get burned with this sauce - IT IS VERY HOT!

The caramel sauce will cool down in the dish while you prepare the bread and milk.

When the caramel sauce has cooled down (about 10-15 minutes), pour the bread-egg mixture on top of it. Sprinkle a tiny bit of cinnamon on the top.

Bake approximately 1-1/2 hours, depending on your oven. Gently insert a fork into the pudding. If the fork comes out clean, it is done. Let cool and then cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day place a plate over the budín and flip it over. The caramel sauce will now be on the top. Cut into squares.

This bread pudding is great with coffee or tea. For children, it's good with milk. Anyway you serve it, it is good. If you want to take something with you to a holiday party or get-together, why not try this.