Classic Bread Pudding

Step 1

Put the bread into a baking dish. Combine the milk and salt and pour over the bread. Soak for 15 minutes. Separate the eggs. Combine the yolks, sugar, cinnamon and cloves, vanilla, lemon zest, and juice. Add the optional ingredients of your choice. Mix well. Pour over the soaked bread and use a fork to mix lightly. If you don’t want to bother with a meringue topping, whip the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the mix. Set the pan in a larger pan of hot water (this is a kind of custard) and bake in a 350°F oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. (How big is this thing? How deep is your baking pan? It should be set but not dried out when done.) Take it out to cool. If you want to make a meringue topping, turn the oven to 300°F.

Step 2

Whip the egg whites until foamy and add 2 tablespoons of the confectioners’ sugar per egg white, continuing to beat. Add a good pinch of cream of tartar, if you have it, and the vanilla and beat until the whites hold stiff peaks. Pile it onto the pudding about 15 minutes before you want to serve it and bake (no need to put it in the water bath this time) until lightly browned.