Simply the Best Bread Pudding

This is by far the easiest and most delicious bread pudding I have ever encountered. People swoon at the first bite and beg me for the recipe. The quality of your ingredients is crucial to the success of this recipe. Be sure to use a good, bakery-quality Challah bread, and do not make low-fat substitutions for the milk and cream. If you cannot find Challah, substitute it with another slightly-sweet egg bread, like Hawaiian bread. Use only homemade or bakery bread.

• Ready In: 1 hr 25 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1  lb  loaf day-old  challah, cubed (Jewish egg bread)
• 8  large eggs
• 3 1⁄2 cups  whole milk
• 1 1⁄2 cups  whipping cream
• 2  cups sugar (white, brown, or a combination)
• 1  tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1⁄8 teaspoon nutmeg (preferably fresh ground)
• 1  cup raisins or 1  cup dried cherries

Directions

1. Butter a 13 x 9 x 2 dish.
2. In a separate bowl, combine all ingredients except bread and raisins/cherries.
3. Mix until eggs are well incorporated.
4. Add bread cubes and raisins/cherries and mix until combined.
5. Pour all into dish.
6. Refrigerate a minimum of 2 hours, up to overnight (longer won't hurt).
7. Bake at 350F for 1 hour, 15 minutes.
8. Serve warm or at room temperature with sweetened real whipped cream.