Dreamy French Bread Pudding - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb loaf French bread, day old
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 cups unbleached cane sugar
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons orange zest, finely minced
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups rice milk (Rice Dream enriched, vanilla flavored)
1/2 cup raisins or 1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup sliced almonds (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375\u00b0F.
Lightly grease a 13\" x 9\" baking dish. Tear or cube the French bread into 1\" pieces and place in the baking dish.
In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, egg yolks, butter, 1 1/4 cups sugar, orange juice, zest and vanilla extract. Set 1/4 cup of sugar aside.
Add the nutmeg, cinnamon and Rice Dream to the egg mixture; whisking well until blended. Stir in the raisins and nuts if using.
Pour the mixture over the French bread then lightly stir the mixture to coat and to prevent the bread pudding from burning.
Let stand for 10 minutes to allow the bread to absorb the mixture.
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 35 minutes, remove foil and sprinkle top with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar.
Baked uncovered for another 30-40 minutes, or until the top is golden and pudding \"puffs\" up. Add the almonds last 10-15 minutes of baking.
Serve warm. Dollop with non dairy topping or fresh whipping cream if desired.