Cinnamon Buns

Welcome to my Fridge, the place with the best lighting in my house :D 

Last Sunday, a friend brought cinnamon buns over to my apartment for an amazing after-dinner dessert. Regardless of my ravagings through the week, it is now Sunday again, and there is still a giant cinnamon bun and a half left in the fridge. (Note ravagings in picture.) What to do with probably-stale-though-still-delicious cinnamon buns? Bread pudding of course! It seems natural. I was hoping it would be original too, but on googling "Cinnamon Bun Bread Pudding," I found it had been done before. Ah well. Just because I didn't think of it doesn't make it sound any less appealing. I think the best part about Bread Pudding is that all you need is milk, eggs, sugar, and vanilla and suddenly you have a whole new dessert out of apples or pound cake or whatever other messes you happen to have around! Hurrah for Bread Pudding.

So, I cut my cinnamon buns into teensy pieces. Then, I mixed milk, beaten eggs, and vanilla in one of my big tupperwares - I figured for an even bathe, the cinnamon buns should rest on a flat surface. And, I was out of large bowls. Then, I laid my cinnamon bun pieces into their bath. This entire process took five minutes flat. All foods should be this easy. This brings me to a confession. The only pan I own is a loaf pan. At home, I have lots of pans (or my mom does). But here, in my little college apartment, I haven't been able to justify spending the money on a lot of different kinds of pans. Instead, I cut everything down to loaf pan size! Which is why it is great that I had only 1 1/2 cinnamon buns left, just enough to make cinnamon bun bread pudding in a loaf pan. Everything works out in the end. Though, for normal people who own normal pans, you could easily double this recipe (I'm sure you're more likely to have 3 whole buns anyway, unlike me) and put it in a square pan or casserole dish. And, you can see the size of the cinnamon buns I had, so if you are using regular - not Jumbo Supermarket Size - cinnamon buns, you would probably need at least 2 buns where I used 1 1/2.

First piece of bread pudding, straight out of the oven! I wish this picture wasn't so yellow....

The cinnamon bun bread pudding was even better than I thought it would be, especially five minutes after leaving the oven. It was warm, soft, and sweet with a hint of cinnamony goodness. I love the egginess of bread pudding inside the and the little crisp bits on the outside. Also, I don't know why bread pudding containing 1 1/2 cinnamon buns seems so much healthier than cinnamon buns themselves. I think its the fact that the sweetness is cut down and it just seems so wholesome. Even cold, it made a delicious breakfast with a glass of milk. Sigh, if only I hadn't just given the last piece away.


Cinnamon Bun Bread Pudding
Makes 8 Servings


1 1/2 Cinnamon Buns

2 Eggs, Beaten

1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 tsp Vanilla
1 cup Milk 

Center a rack in the oven and pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pan. Tear apart or cut the cinnamon buns into 1 inch or smaller cubes. In one medium bowl, stir together the eggs, sugar, milk, and vanilla. Lay the cinnamon bun pieces into the liquid mixture, making sure each piece is covered. Leave for ten minutes, to allow the cinnamon buns to soak in the liquid. Then, pour into the loaf pan and place in the oven. Bake for 55 minutes, or until it is set and does not jiggle when shaken. Cool on a wire rack for five minutes, then cut pieces and eat!