My very first bread pudding

Why have I always avoided bread pudding? I think because it's so redolent of leftovers...in the worst way. Stale bread becomes dessert? C'mon.

But here I am, happily and thriftily making french toast out of that same stale bread, and enjoying it immensely. I read recently that bread pudding is french toast perfected and I heard that day old baguette in the fridge calling out, "you can make something delicious out of me". Okay, fine.

A search of a half dozen recipes led me to this one: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Rum-Caramel-and-Banana-Bread-Pudding-351558 which hits my buttons - bananas foster flavours, yum.

So the baguette was sliced, the bananas sauteed and assembly completed. The bain-marie was made and the pud baked. Looks...okay. Cuts about like I'd expect - crispish top, soft underneath. Seems a little dense - that'd be the banana. I drizzled each slice with caramel and served up to Hubby and I. He's happy, very happy. Would like a few raisins, but I don't do raisins, so it's as good as it can be in this house. I find it... heavy (the bananas are definitely a detriment in the texture department) and it mostly just tastes sweet, which is okay but that texture. The bread isn't fluffy like my french toast, it's not hot - served warm, as recommended - it's kind of...yucky.

Hmmm. I've always avoided this dessert in restaurants but maybe I need to taste the real thing and find out whether mine is off or whether I just don't like bread pudding.

Or...I get Hubby to order it and I only have to have a bite. Yeah. That's it.