Cranberry Bread Pudding
1 C sweetened dried cranberries - in other words, Craisins
1/2 C orange juice - or 2 T of orange juice concentrate with 6 T of water (see Hint #1 below)
7 slices whole grain bread (I use Grandma Sycamore's Sunflower & Honey)
8 beaten eggs
4 C milk (see Hint #2 below)
2/3 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 325º if using a glass pan, or 350º if using a metal pan.
Daffodil Lemon Sauce
1 1/2 C sugar
1/4 C cornstarch
dash salt
dash nutmeg
3 C water
6 beaten egg yolks (see Hint #3 below)
3/8 C butter - cut into pats
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
3/8 C lemon juice
Hint #3: The last time I made raspberry torte, I froze the leftover egg yolks in anticipation of making this sauce for Christmas. Waste not, want not? Anyway, they froze great and when I thawed them, I just blended the yolks with 1/2 cup of the 3 cups of water in this recipe, then slowly stirred them into the bubbly syrup.
- Combine cranberries and orange juice in a microwave‑safe bowl. Warm for 30 seconds, then let stand while the cranberries absorb the liquid.
- Cut or tear the bread into 1” cubes and place in a greased 10×10 or 9×11 pan, or any pan between 95–100 square inches.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt.
- Drain the juice from the cranberry‑orange mixture into the egg‑milk custard and stir to blend.
- Pour the custard evenly over the bread, pressing down gently until all cubes are fully saturated. Then scatter the softened cranberries over the bread cubes.
- Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. The center will continue to set as the pudding cools.
- Serve warm, topped with lemon sauce. Note: If serving later, cover the pudding while still warm to help retain moisture.
Hint #1: Since I rarely have fresh orange juice on hand, I keep frozen concentrate in the freezer. I thaw just enough to measure what I need, then return the rest to the freezer until the next recipe. For drinking, I don’t recommend this method — once thawed and refrozen, the juice can lose its fresh flavor and smooth texture, but it works beautifully in baked goods.
Hint #2: If you’re using powdered milk, dissolve it in warm water — it mixes much more smoothly than in cold.
1 1/2 C sugar
1/4 C cornstarch
dash salt
dash nutmeg
3 C water
6 beaten egg yolks (see Hint #3 below)
3/8 C butter - cut into pats
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
3/8 C lemon juice
Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt and nutmeg. Gradually stir in water. Cook and stir over low heat until thick and bubbly. Stir a little hot mixture into egg yolks; return slowly to hot mixture while stirring. Cook and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; add butter, lemon peel and juice; blend.
Hint #3: The last time I made raspberry torte, I froze the leftover egg yolks in anticipation of making this sauce for Christmas. Waste not, want not? Anyway, they froze great and when I thawed them, I just blended the yolks with 1/2 cup of the 3 cups of water in this recipe, then slowly stirred them into the bubbly syrup.
