MAPLE CRANBERRY BREAD PUDDING

If you haven't already noticed, I tend to bake a lot.  It appears I have a bit of a sweet tooth!  So here I go again, posting another recipe for a dessert.  I'm still making my way through that bag of wild cranberries in my freezer, so I made a delicious bread pudding sweetened with my ultimate favorite thing, maple syrup.  Good thing we had a pint of Rice Dream Vanilla frozen dessert in the freezer, because if there is one thing that this bread pudding screams for, it's vanilla ice cream.  I've got to be honest, this dessert is really good.  So good, I had three helpings.  Seriously.  

MAPLE CRANBERRY BREAD PUDDING

8 ounces thinly sliced organic bread (I used the the Boulangerie la Vendeenne's Organic Spelt bread leftover from lunch)

organic butter

2 cups organic whole milk 

2 organic eggs

2/3 cup local maple syrup

1/4 tsp pure organic vanilla extract

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 cup local wild cranberries

Method:  Preheat oven to 350*.  Butter a 2 quart baking dish, set aside.  Bake the bread on a cookie sheet until it is dry, about 12 minutes.

     In a bowl, whisk the milk together with the eggs, maple syrup, vanilla and salt.  Tear the bread into chunks and add to the bowl, along with the cranberries, stir until the bread is coated and begins to soak up the milk.  Pour the bread into the baking dish.  Let stand at least 10 minutes, or in the fridge until you are ready to bake it.

     Dot the surface of the pudding with little dabs of butter, and bake about 30 minutes.