Ok brave souls - this one is still different -

Chile Cheese Bread Pudding

5 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 cup (2 1/2 ounces) loosely packed coarsely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) loosely packed coarsely shredded Monterey jack cheese
2 tablespoons canned diced green chiles
6 1/2 cups trimmed and cubed (1-inch) day-old French or Italian bread

Adjust rack to lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Generously butter a 12-cup (2 1/4-inch, scant 1/2 cup capacity) muffin tin.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and cream to blend thoroughly. Mix in the chili powder, salt, cumin and oregano, then mix in the cheeses and chiles. Add the bread; mix thoroughly. Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin tin cups.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until a knife blade inserted into the centers comes out clean. Cool 5 to 10 minutes. Slide a knife blade around puddings to loosen them; lift out of molds with a small spatula. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Makes 12 servings.

You also may make the bread puddings in ramekins, individual custard cups, or mini-muffin pans. Adjust baking times as follows: Place filled ramekins or custard cups on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes; or bake pudding in mini-muffin pans for about 15 minutes.

Can I use dry bread cubes I made from some of my old homemade bread? I dried them in the oven to use at a later time for dressing, crutons, and such? Or should the bread still be moist?

Bread Pudding is my ALL-TIME FAV DESSERT! Don't believe that- I say that about everything from pecan pie to banana cake! BUT, I do LOVE me some good bread pudding. The only thing better than still-warm bread pudding with a silky whiskey sauce, rum sauce or vanilla sauce, is COLD bread pudding right out of the fridge. LOVE IT! I remember in grade schhol our hair-netted lunch ladies made big pans of bread pudding with apples baked into it- and they smeared vanilla pudding on top and cut into squares. This too was incredible!

Cathy, those bread cubes should work just fine. Just make sure you let them sit in the pudding mix long enough to absorb it.

I gurantee you will change your mind about bread pudding, no matter which of the recipes you use.

I've made fantastic Bread Puddings using super-stale (we're talking HARD!) French Bread and to my taste it provided consistently the best taste and texture.

But, once you become pretty well-versed in getting your custard/bread ratio and baking time/method just right, don't stop there... at remote-site work-camps (where, as discussed before nothing is wasted!) everything went into our Bread Puddings from aged hotdog/burger buns and dinner rolls, to stale muffins, donuts, bagels, cinnamon rolls, kringle, danish, tea-rings, etc.