A BOILED BREAD PUDDING.

Boil a quart of rich milk. While it is boiling, take a small loaf of
baker’s bread, such as is sold for five or six cents. It may be either
fresh or stale. Pare off all the crust, and cut up the crumb into very
small pieces. You should have baker’s bread if you can procure it, as
home-made bread may not make the pudding light enough. Put the bread
into a pan; and when the milk boils, pour it scalding hot over the
bread. Cover the pan closely, and let it steep in the hot steam for
about three quarters of an hour. Then remove the cover, and allow the
bread and milk to cool. In the mean time, beat four eggs till they are
thick and smooth. Then beat into them a table-spoonful and a half of
fine wheat flour. Next beat the egg and flour into the bread and milk,
and continue to beat hard till the mixture is as light as possible; for
on this the success of the pudding chiefly depends.

Have ready over the fire a pot of boiling water. Dip your pudding-cloth
into it, and shake it out. Spread out the cloth in a deep dish or pan,
and dredge it well with flour. Pour in the mixture, and tie up the
cloth, leaving room for it to swell. Tie the string firmly and plaster
up the opening (if there is any) with flour moistened with water. If
any water gets into it the pudding will be spoiled.

See that the water boils when you put in the pudding, and keep it
boiling hard. If the pot wants replenishing, do it with boiling water
from a kettle. Should you put in cold water to supply the place of that
which has boiled away, the pudding will chill, and become hard and
heavy. Boil it an hour and a half.

Turn it out of the bag the minute before you send it to table. Eat it
with wine sauce, or with sugar and butter, or molasses.

It will be much improved by adding to the mixture half a pound of whole
raisins, well floured to prevent their sinking. Sultana raisins are
best, as they have no seeds.

If these directions are exactly followed, this will be found a
remarkably good and wholesome plain pudding.

For all boiled puddings, a square pudding-cloth which can be opened
out, is much better than a bag. It should be very thick.