1 cup raisins
1/4 cup dark rum (recommended: Myers's)
1 cup Tiger Spice Chai®, or your favorite David Rio chai flavor
1/4 cup hot water
5 eggs
4 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 loaf leftover French or Italian bread, torn into 1-inch pieces


DIRECTIONS

Combine raisins and rum in a small bowl and soak for 1 to 2 hours. Drain raisins and reserve soaking liquid.

In a small bowl, dissolve chai into hot water to make a chai concentrate.

In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add milk, melted butter, vanilla, chai concentrate, sugar, and salt, and mix well to ensure the sugar has been dissolved. Add the reserved raisin soaking liquid and mix to combine.

Place bread pieces in a 9" x 12" baking dish. Distribute the drained raisins evenly over bread, and then pour in the milk mixture. Let sit until bread has soaked up all of the liquid for about 15 minutes in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place baking dish in a larger pan and add hot water about halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes - 1 hour or until bread pudding has set. Remove bread pudding from oven and let cool to just warm.

Makes 12 servings.