Bread Pudding is great on a lot of levels…. Mostly, it’s delicious…. sure, it’s old-fashioned, and the fabulous pastry chefs of Paris generally don’t bother with it (silly of them, if you ask me). But the taste is homey, comforting, warm, and uncomplicated. It’s also pretty versatile… If you have bread, eggs and milk you have the basics, just add whatever flavor you like best. Bread Pudding is nice enough for company, but easy enough for every day.

And it’s a great way to use up leftover bread.

Tropical Bread Pudding came about because I had bought a loaf of Hawaiian Sweet Bread. The kids ordinarily love it, but for some reason, they weren’t eating it…. sigh….. So I cut it up, mixed it with Pineapple and Coconut and a milky egg mixture**, and ta-dah!!! A dessert worthy of a Hawaiian Luau or a Tiki Party (or a tuesday night).

You can serve it for dessert with ice cream or whipped cream (it’s yummy warm or cold). I also love it for breakfast (really, it’s just version of french toast).

So good.

Enjoy.

**Note- I had Cream of Coconut in my refrigerator, so I added it to the eggs to give it a boost of flavor. You can just use milk if that’s what you have.

Tropical Bread Pudding Recipe

Makes an 8×8 casserole pan or the equivalent

3 Tbl. Butter

3 eggs

1/4 cup Milk

1/4 cup Cream of Coconut (if you don’t have it, use 1/2 cup milk)

1 cup Brown Sugar

1 can (20 oz.) Crushed Pineapple – drained

¾ cup shredded Coconut -divided

1/2 loaf of Hawaiian Bread -5 or 6 thick slices cut into cubes (about 1 inch square)

Instructions

 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Put the butter into the pan, and set it in the oven to melt.

In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk, coconut milk and sugar. Whisk a bit to combine.

Stir in the drained pineapple, and ½ cup of the shredded coconut.

Stir in the bread cubes until completely covered.

Take the Pan with the melted butter out of the oven, spread the melted butter around a bit.

Pour the bread mixture into the bowl…. Sprinkle the rest of the coconut on top.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Let cool for a few minutes (so you don’t burn your tongue) then eat…. Hot or cold