When I think of baking comfort food, two recipes always come to mind. Bread pudding and my mom’s famous raisin pudding. There is nothing like the taste of a nice warm, rich, thick pudding to have you feeling like you have come home. The troubles of the world and the troubles of a hard day just seem to melt away when I take the first bite. I hope these baking recipes do the same for you.

Bread Pudding

2 cups milk

4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

1 egg

2 egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

3 dashes ground mace

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 cups cubed French or Italian bread (3/4 inch)

In a saucepan over low heat, combine milk and butter. Take off of the heat and continue to stir the mixture until the butter melts. Allow this mixture to cool for 10 minutes. In a bowl, beat the egg and egg whites to the point of getting foamy. Add the sugar, cinnamon, cloves, mace, and salt to the eggs. Add in the milk mixture. Add in the bread. Put it all into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Put the dish inside a roasting pan and add one inch of hot water. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes. A knife put into the pudding halfway between the center and the edge should come out clean.

Raisin Pudding

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup milk

pinch salt

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups boiling water

1 tablespoon butter

Mix the sugar, flour, baking powder, raisins, milk and salt in a large bowl. Put the mixture into a greased 2 quart casserole dish. Mix the brown sugar, boiling water, and butter together in a bowl. Pour the brown sugar mixture over the batter and bake in a 350 degree oven until golden brown on top. (I forget just now how long that is. That is what I love about mom’s recipes. Never a set time. Just till it’s done. If only all of life was more like that.)

The best way to serve these baking recipes is warm and with ones you love.