Avoid boiling the mixture. Hot, frothy scalded milk. Few minutes to cool scalded milk. Add vanilla and whisk in the eggs one at a time until well mixed.
On toast, spread custard. Cover the floating bread with custard with a wooden spoon (not perfectly). Best results require 20–30 minutes or longer custard soaking of bread.
If feasible, chill overnight before baking. Bread and cake are messy and dense. Without it, bread crumbs feel different.Preheat oven to 350°F and foil casserole dish.
Middle rack, preheated oven, 40 minutes.Without foil, bake 5–10 minutes until lightly golden brown.
Dust bread pudding and sauce with powdered sugar.Serve cut warm bread pudding with sauce.
The bread pudding sauce components should boil in a small pot. Whisk often while cooking until sauce thickens, 3–4 minutes. Off the heat, serve the sauce with bread pudding.
If the sauce cools before use, heat it on the stove or in the microwave until hot. Sauce can be refrigerated for a week in an airtight container.