Italian pudding bread Sandy Franco

Italian bread pudding

Submitted by: Sandy Franco, Eligibility Services Technician III Workforce & Benefi ts Administration - Fremont Offi ce

I learned how to make this bread pudding from my grandmother Mary in Italy. After I graduated from high school, I spent the summer with her in a small town called Matraia in Tuscany. She told me that, during World War II, the German soldiers rationed their food. Even if they had money to buy food, they were only permitted certain items and in small quantities, and only basics—no sweets. My grandmother had a huge sweet tooth, so I am unsure if the women in her town came up with the recipe or if she did—but it is SO good. This recipe is special to me because my grandmother and others in this small village found a way to make something sweet and comforting to them with the items they had on hand. My grandmother used stale bread butts to make her bread pudding. I have modifi ed the recipe by using cups but she eyed everything when she showed me how to make it.

Sandy’s grandmother, circa 1940s

INGREDIENTS

1 French baguette left out for a few days so it gets hard 1 piece of American bread 1 cup of sugar 2 eggs 3 cups of milk

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut up the bread into chunks and soak in milk, sugar, vanilla extract, and brandy overnight. 2. Once bread is soft and mushy, smash everything up with a bean masher until there are no lumps.

Add all other ingredients and mix well. 3. Spray casserole dish and pour mixture into pan. You can add extra nuts on top if you like. 4. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Let it cool completely. 1/2 cup of brandy or any type of liquor that you like (rum, whiskey, Grand Marnier) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 3/4 cups raisins 1/2 cup of nuts your choice (I use chopped pecans or almonds)