A Simple, Delicious Raisin Bread Pudding in a Mug!

Happy Friday!

It's been pouring ALL week in Hong Kong, and even though it's hot and humid outside, I still felt like the rainy week needed a bread pudding (it's comforting and delicious - and the AC inside makes it easy to forget the temperatures outside). And when I say it's been pouring, I mean POURING all the time - barely letting up all week. I cannot believe how much rain there is, and it's only an "Amber" rain alert, which is one of the lowest levels. Amber means there's about 1.25 - 2 inches of rain/hour, Red is the next level at 2 - 3 inches/hour, and Black means the rain exceeds 3 inches/hour. This week it's been at Amber, and it seems like very heavy rain, so I can't imagine what Red or Black would look like. And honestly, I have no need to see that for myself :)

So coming back to the point of this blog - I made a bread pudding. I used Raisin and Cranberry day-old bread because it's what we had on hand, but any savory-type of bread would work well too. I think that sometimes bread pudding can be too mushy and it's definitely not a go-to dessert for me, but I think this single-serving, microwave-friendly option is a great use of day-old bread for a moist, warm dessert. (If you don't like the word moist, you should get past this - it's a very descriptive word so I have to use it! And in this capacity, moist is a good thing.)

So here's what you'll need:

• 1 slice of bread of choice (or 2 slices if it's a smaller loaf)
• 1 teaspoon butter, melted
• 1/2 egg (or about 2 tablespoons egg beaters)
• 1/3 cup milk (I use lactose-free, but you can use regular, almond, soy - whatever you prefer)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla 

And here's how to make it:

1. Bread bread into smaller pieces and put into a mug (No need to oil the mug).
2. Melt the butter, and drizzle it over the bread.
3. Mix the egg, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla in a separate bowl, stirring until combined. Then pour the mixture over the bread/butter. Using a spoon, press down on the bread until it's covered in the liquid and soaking it in.
4. Bake for about 3 minutes in the microwave.
5. Enjoy straight from the mug, or turn it out onto a plate and enjoy it there! 

#1 - pieces of bread in the mug

#3 - adding the liquid mixture to the bread

#3 - pressing the liquid into the bread

Enjoy straight from the mug!

Or on a plate!