Pioneer
Bread Pudding with Molasses Sauce
Nothing goes to waste
New Brunswick historical recordStale bread was never thrown away in a Depression-era kitchen. Soaked in a simple egg custard and baked until set, it became dessert. The molasses sauce — made from almost nothing — turned it into something a child would remember their whole life.
Source: New Brunswick historical record
Ingredients
- 4 cups stale bread, torn in chunks
- 2 cups milk
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup raisins (optional)
Molasses Sauce
- ½ cup molasses
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tbsp butter or lard
- Pinch of ginger
Instructions
- Spread bread chunks in a greased 8×8 baking dish. Scatter raisins over if using.
- Whisk together milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour over bread.
- Press bread down gently so it absorbs the liquid. Let sit 20 minutes.
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 35–40 minutes until set and golden on top.
- For the sauce: combine molasses, water, butter, and ginger in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stir, and simmer 3 minutes.
- Serve pudding warm with sauce poured over.
✦ Kitchen Notes
- Any bread works — even cornbread or biscuits going stale.
- Without the eggs, just pour warm milk and molasses over the bread and bake — it still works and feeds hungry children.