Croissant Bread Pudding

Do I need more carbs in my life? No. Do I want them? Yes. What better way to endulge my love of carbs than by making some bread pudding (hello! bread + pudding). The inspiration for making such a decadent, amaze dish came from spying day-old croissants for only $1.25. How could I possibly leave them behind...they had to be put to good use... 

Ingredients:

-3 extra-large whole eggs

-8 extra-large egg yolks (not to fear...the whites were saved for an omelet)

-5 cups half & half (equals a little more than a quart...so I had to buy 2. I plan on using the rest for quiche...you can find that recipe here.)

-1 1/2 cups sugar

-1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

-6 croissants, preferably stale

-1 cup raisins (I left these out...not my favorite. I think I'll do chocolate chips next time...how delish!)

1. Separate eggs...I'm not very good at this part

(there was one rogue yolk in w/the whites...woopsie).

2. In a medium bowl, mix eggs, half & half,

sugar, and vanilla extract.

3. Cut the croissants in half...lay the bottoms in

a 9 x 13 in pan. Pour half of the egg mixture on top,

place the tops of the croissants back on...and then pour

on the rest of the mix.

4. The next part is fun...I used all my fanciest

cooking tools... ;) Basically, you need to weigh down the croissants with something heavy so they can absorb all of the yummy custard delight. I let mine sit for about 10 mins.

5. Now...you're ready to bake. You'll need to place your bread pudding dish into a larger pan filled w/ hot water. Then, over the entire thing...make a foil 'tent'...cutting a few holes in the top for steam. In a 350 degree oven, bake (covered) for 45 mins...and then (uncovered) for 40-45 mins. I took mine out after 43 mins...but should have done the full 45 mins (it was still delish...just a little runny).

I thoroughly enjoyed this dessert in every form possible: hot...right out of the oven; warmed up w/ some ice cream and homemade genache; and cold from the fridge.

Pretty much...you need to go to the store (right now), buy some croissants (hopefully day-old), and get to baking!

~Hilary~

*Original recipe found here.