Rich Dessert at a Thrifty Price

I was frugal, when frugal wasn’t cool. I don’t like to waste anything, but I especially don’t like to waste food. There are just too many hungry people in this world for me to feel comfortable throwing away edible food. This belief has meant that occasionally I have to find creative ways to use what we have on hand before it is ruined.

Years ago I had a freezer full of hot dog and hamburger buns. They had been on sale for fractions of a cent each at the day old bread store. I bought lots of them during that summer and stuck them in the freezer. When autumn rolled around, I still had a freezer full of buns. I figured we wouldn't be barbecuing much anymore, so I had to find another way to use up our abundance of frozen buns.

I stumbled upon a recipe for Bread Pudding in one of my cookbooks. The recipe originally called for a loaf of french bread, but I decided to make a bun substitution. In my mind, hot dog buns are alot like french bread, just smaller and softer, so I adapted the recipe. It also calls for a whiskey sauce, but since I don't drink alcohol, I adapted that too.

My family loved it! In fact they like it better than traditional bread pudding, because my version is much lighter. I will warn you though, this is a very rich tasting dessert. It is not low calorie either.

Here is the recipe:

1 pound hot dog or hamburger buns
1 quart milk
3 eggs, beaten slightly
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup raisins
2 tablespoons vanilla
3 tablespoons butter, melted


Break bread into chunks, and put in a large bowl. Add milk, and let soak for 10 minutes. Crush with spoon until well blended. Add eggs, sugar, raisins, and vanilla. Pour butter into a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan. Spoon pudding into pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until pudding is firm. Let mixture cool. Then pour sweet sauce on top.

Sweet Sauce:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk

Combine butter, sugar, and milk in a saucepan. Cook on medium until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.






During the holidays it is fun to substitute, craisins (dried cranberries), for the raisins. It gives the pudding a pretty holiday look. Enjoy!