Bread and butter pudding

Of my fondest memories are all related to this lovely dessert.  First was way back when our family went to the Cape for this first time and went to The Volkskombuis in Stellenbosch.  There you get to order dessert from the dessert trolley and I remember having bread and butter pudding drizzled with fresh cream, it was the traditional version with raisins.  Next, was a lovely dinner with my dad at the Wild Fig restaurant in Observatory.  The bread and butter pudding there was completely different - decadently sweet with a sugary crust served with apple sauce.  The third memory is a lunch I had with one of my former employers, at the Oude Libertas.  This time it was made with croissants and marmelade - one of the best dessert I've ever had.  Recently my mom tried out the recipe I'm about to share.  I think she saw this caramel bread and butter pudding on the cooking channel and being an excellent cook, she perfected it. 

It works best if you use home made white bread, brioche or challah.  Do not use that sliced, white, long life stuff - it will be a disaster!

You will need only 6 ingredients: butter, sugar, cream, milk, bread and eggs! The quantities below will be enough for a dish of approximately 20cm x 30cm and will serve 6 - 8 people.

For the caramel:

1 1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup cream

75g butter

Caramelize the sugar as described and as soon as the the right colour is reached remove from the heat, add the cream and butter, and stir until the butter is melted.

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees.

Remove the crusts of 14 slices of bread (no need if it is a soft crust) and spread lightly with butter. Place half the bread in a single layer in an oven proof dish, pour over half the caramel sauce and repeat. Alternatively, slice the bread into neat triangles and neatly arrange them at an angle in the dish.  Drizzle over the caramel sauce, making sure the bread is well covered.

Now, lightly whisk together:

250 ml cream

750 ml milk and

5 eggs

Pour over the bread and let it stand for at least half an hour for the bread to soak up the milk.  Then, sprinkle the top generously with sugar, you will need approximately 3 - 4 tablespoons.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Serve with ice cream.