This is my attempt at Reid’s (of ‘Ono Kine Grindz) yummy bread pudding, posted last week. Reid’s recipe makes the pudding more custardy, but I wanted mine with a little more bread.

I couldn’t find any Portuguese sweet bread and so just picked up 2 kinds of rolls I found at my favourite Asian market. One package was labeled Quiapo brand Pan de Leche. Quiapo is a district in Manila that’s dominated by a huge 16th-century church. In the church is a large statue of Jesus that is rumoured to be miraculous so that supplicants often approach the altar on their hands and knees. Quiapo is also a popular shopping district with a huge market and is the site of several colleges, a mosque, and other cultural landmarks. Just seeing the name on the label brought back waves of childhood nostalgia. The other bread I purchased was Vietnamese — sweet dinner rolls from the Bui Phong Bakery. I thought the latter tasted better, but using two kinds of bread made for a pretty contrast in the casserole dish.

Because I used more bread I used 2 cans of evaporated milk (Reid’s recipe calls for 2 cups), 6 eggs (vs. 4), 1 whole stick of butter (rather than 6 T) and 3/4 cup of sugar (1/2). I also played fast and loose with the vanilla, cinammon and nutmeg, and sprinkled the pudding liberally with raisins and chopped, toasted pecans.

It was perfect. Soft and slightly custardy, even a little silky, but with a little more substance and texture thanks to the raisins and nuts. This was a really easy and fun dish, Reid, thanks so much! I’m going to make this for my family when I visit them for the holidays in a couple of weeks.