Bread and Butter Pudding With Strawberries

From Martha Stewart Living March 2001. Allowing bread to soak in custard batter for a full hour is the secret to a good bread-and-butter pudding.

• Ready In: 1 hr 40 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 4  large eggs
• 3⁄4 cup  whole milk
• 3⁄4 cup heavy cream
• 7  tablespoons sugar
• 2  tablespoons dark rum
• 8  slices  white bread
• 4  tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1  pint fresh strawberries, hulled and cut in half

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cream, 3 tablespoons sugar, and rum. Set aside.
2. Spread the top of each slice of bread with generous amount of butter. Cut slices in half diagonally. In a 9-inch-round baking dish or cake pan, fan overlapping bread slices in one layer. (It is also fine for bread to overlap randomly.) Pour egg mixture over bread, and let stand 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 400º. Sprinkle pudding with 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake until puffed and golden brown, and pudding has set, about 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine strawberries with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Let stand while pudding bakes. Serve strawberries with baked pudding.