Bread pudding is a dish that is served frequently during the holidays, but it can be served and enjoyed any time. It has become a tradition, but it originated long ago, mainly as a way to use up day-old bread. While bread pudding is generally associated with the Southern regions of the United States, it probably originated in England.

Bread pudding is quite simply a sweetened version of bread dressing, made from bread, eggs and milk. The main difference is the addition of sugar or other sweet ingredients. It is also sometimes made from cinnamon rolls, sweet rolls, coffee cake or donuts.

Bread pudding is commonly served warm and is often topped with heavy cream, ice cream or whipped cream. Some people choose to serve it with fancy sauces, such as caramel or custard sauce. Different recipes add fresh or dried fruits to bread pudding, or make it from raisin bread, while others add nuts, such as almonds. There are also bread pudding recipes that call for rum, sherry or brandy.

The following is a simple recipe for bread pudding that anyone can make. Begin by removing the crusts from two loaves of white bread. To avoid waste, place the crusts in your blender and grind them into breadcrumbs. Pour just enough milk over the breadcrumbs to cover them, and let them soak. Next, dice the bread slices into cubes.

Add the breadcrumb mixture, two eggs and one can of sweetened condensed milk to the bread cubes and mix. Sprinkle with two teaspoons of cinnamon and add one teaspoon of vanilla. Mix thoroughly. The mixture will be very thick. You may add milk, one tablespoon at a time, if needed.

Once mixed, pour the bread mixture into a buttered casserole dish. Dot the mixture with pats of butter. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Stir once to make sure the bottom is firm, not soggy. Serve your homemade bread pudding warm with your favorite topping. For a simple sauce, warm up a jar of caramel ice cream topping and drizzle it over the bread pudding.