Croissant Bread Pudding

   My husbands response to bread pudding was something like, "Bread pudding? Stale bread and crusts baked into eggs and milk? It's gross". To which I said, "you are supposed to add vanilla, cinnamon, butter, then bake it, then drench it with syrup!"
   I think we grew up with different bread puddings! He is right though (basically), bread pudding is exactly what it sounds like; a pudding made with bread. But I like to think of it as French toast without all the individual slice dipping and frying. It's cut up bread in a dish, then you pour an egg, milk, vanilla, cinnamon/sugar mixture over it and bake it. 
   I actually had my first taste of bread pudding while working at a summer camp that my Dad was cooking at. He would make the bread pudding so thick in those enormous camp-sized pans, and he would have to get up super early to get them in the oven to have enough time to bake fully (I'm talking at least 5-inch deep bread pudding!). But geepers, it was good!!! I've had good camp food, and bad camp food, but bread pudding made by my Dad? The BEST!!!! 
   I've been hankerin' for some bread pudding lately, I'm not sure why. I had some at Christmas when my sister made it, and brought along a rum sauce for it (drool....), but I hadn't made it myself in years. My treat day doesn't generally include breakfast, not because I want a healthy breakfast, but because I just don't always eat breakfast at all. But one treat day the kids and I were at the Tweed Value Mart, and there was a bag of croissants for 50% off, and suddenly I thought, "mmmmm, bread pudding made from croissants......", and grabbed the bag. It would be my treat day lunch! :)  
   It's a buttery, cinnamon-y, delightful dish, perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch...dinner....just make it and eat it.   

Croissant Bread Pudding 

Ingredients:

• 4-6 Croissants
• 3 Eggs
• 1 Cup milk
• 2 Tbsp white and brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp Vanilla
• 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
• 1/4 Cup butter, melted

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cut or tear up the croissants and place them into an 8x8 baking dish that has been lightly greased
3. In a bowl, whisk up the eggs, milk, sugars, vanilla and cinnamon
4. Pour the egg mixture over the croissants, trying your best to make sure you get some egg mixture on everything (it won't fully cover the bread though, and that's o.k.). You can also gently toss/mix the bread pieces around a bit if you didn't get good enough coverage with the egg mixture
5. Now carefully pour the melted butter over the pudding, again, trying to get it on as much as possible (not just dumping it in one spot!)
6. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 25-30 minutes, then remove the foil and allow to bake for an additional 10 minutes or so, until the top is golden
7. Serve hot with maple syrup, or make some rum sauce! 

   Some people like all the bread to be fully covered in the egg mixture, and if you're like that, simply add in another egg and a bit more milk, and increase the baking time. 
   I prefer to have the top a little crunchy and crispy. And with using croissants, the top being slightly uncovered from the egg mixture was divine. You get this fantastic, croissant-y buttery taste, and it was reeeeaaaal good! :)