Cranberry Bread Pudding - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 loaf French bread, torn into pieces (16-oz. loaf)
1 cup cranberries, coarsely chopped
1 cup pecans, chopped (or walnuts)
2 cups milk, whole
2 cups half-and-half
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup dark rum (optional, can use rum extract)
1 tablespoon vanilla
maple syrup (I prefer a custard sauce)

Preparation

Combine bread, cranberries, and pecans in a large bowl; toss gently. Combine milk and half and half; pour over bread mixture. Cover and chill 1 hour.
Combine eggs, sugars, rum and vanilla; stir well. Add egg mixture to chilled bread, stirring gently to combine. Pour into a greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until set and lightly browned. Let cool in pan 5 minutes. Cut into squares; serve warm with maple syrup or sauce of your choice.