It’s crunch time! Only a few days left until I post my spring menu and the Winter menu will be a thing of the past. This is my final weekend to make some solid headway on completing my culinary goal. I am very excited for Spring to arrive and even more excited for the new recipes in the next chapter of my book which coincide with the changing of the seasons.

While it is still a bit nippy out and while we are still in the mood for something warm and comforting in the evening hours, I thought it would be as good a time as any to try out the bread pudding recipe.

I must confess, I was not looking forward to this recipe all Winter. In fact, I have been trying to figure out who I know that would enjoy such a thing as a peanut butter and jam bread pudding. Blah, saying the words out loud makes me not want to make it. But I have a book to cook and I have full intentions of seeing this through to the end. Not being a fan of peanut butter and jam sandwiches nor a fan of bread pudding, the idea of combining the two sounded like a sick joke the author of the book was playing on me…. because of course she wrote the book for me and clearly knew me enough to know I would dread the idea of such a concoction.

Luckily I am in my home town (Belleville, Ontario) this weekend visiting my family. Luckily my mother loves bread pudding, my other family members enjoy PB&J sandwiches and even more lucky… my sister just had her wisdom teeth removed and welcomed the idea of a dessert that would involve little to no chewing.

This recipe is incredibly easy to make and is perfectly sweet. I stand corrected and can’t believe that I doubted Anna so deeply. I will be making this recipe again some day, it is definitely worth a go.

Peanut Butter and Jam Bread Pudding

¼ cup unsalted butter

2/3 cup peanut butter

1-3/4 cup milk at room temperature

2 egg yolks at room temperature

2 whole eggs at room temperature

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

6 cups cubed egg bread ** I used 7 slices of Dempsters white 16 whole grains bread

2/3 cup raspberry jam or other fruit jam

Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling * I used regular white sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Melt butter and brush pan with half of it. Add peanut butter to remaining melted butter and heat over low heat until fluid. Remove from heat and whisk in milk, then whisk in egg yolks, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Toss mixture with cubed bread and let sit 10 minutes. Spoon mixture into prepared pan and dollop jam over bread, pressing in slightly to incorporate just a touch. Sprinkle with Turbinado sugar. Place pan in a larger dish and fill it with an inch of hot tap water. Bake for about 50 minutes, until golden on top and set. Let pudding sit for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Pudding can be served warm or chilled.