My grandmother from Ireland shared this recipe with me, and I promise I prepare it throughout the entire year!

Servings: 6

6 cups of day-old bread, cubed
2 cups of whole milk
1 cup of heavy cream
4 large eggs
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of raisins (optional)
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until well combined.

Add the milk and heavy cream to the egg mixture, whisking until smooth.

Place the cubed bread in the prepared baking dish. If using, sprinkle the raisins evenly over the bread.

Pour the custard mixture over the bread, pressing down gently to ensure all pieces are soaked.

Drizzle the melted butter over the top of the pudding.

Let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes to allow the bread to absorb the custard.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the custard is set.

While the pudding bakes, prepare the vanilla custard sauce by heating 1 cup of heavy cream, 1/2 cup of milk, 1/4 cup of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens slightly.