Step 1

Cut bread into ½ inch cubes and spread it out on a large baking sheet. Leave it out to get stale for about a day.

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 350° and grease a 9x13 casserole baking dish with butter all over the bottom and up the sides.

Step 3

Preheat a large cooking pan over medium heat and add oil. Sauté shallots and leeks until softened and start to brown and then add pressed garlic. Sauté just until garlic is fragrant.

Step 4

Add sliced mushrooms and season them with a little bit of salt. (Not too much because egg mixture already has salt.)

Step 5

Cook mushrooms, stirring from time to time, until completely cooked. Add butter, let it melt, and stir it in with mushrooms.

Step 6

Take the pan off heat, make a little well in the center of mushrooms and add sherry. Place the pan back on the stove and let it simmer for a minute or so. Stir mushrooms to coat and take off heat.

Step 7

White eggs, heavy whipping cream, stock, and seasoning together and set aside.

Step 8

Spread stale bread in the prepared baking dish evenly.

Step 9

Spread cooked mushroom mixture over the bread and nestle some in between bread cubes.

Step 10

Spread grated cheddar cheese over the top and evenly pour the egg mixture all over.

Step 11

Gently press on the bread to help it soak up the mixture. Let everything sit on the counter about 10-15 minute before baking.

Step 12

Bake bread pudding for 40-45 minutes. (If the top is browning too fast, you can cover the top loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil half way through or so.)