We had a little Valentine's party at work Sunday, so I made sandwiches out of heart-shaped bread cut with a cookie cutter. They were cute and all, but now I have a bagful of bread scraps.

Which brings us to today's recipe: bread pudding, a classic way to use up leftovers. Of course, keeping the bread from going to waste requires an additional investment in eggs and cream, but then you get to eat a nice, warm slice of bread pudding. Probably worth it.

“;I love bread pudding, and the best bread pudding I have ever eaten was at the Oahu Country Club,”; Leslie Uratani wrote.

Celeste Mendiola-Flores, pastry chef for the country club, says she makes 10 pans of the bread pudding each week — and these are what they call “;hotel pans,”; 12 by 20 inches. The treat is served on buffets and is often requested for private functions.

Now, you can find 12-by-20-inch disposable aluminum roasting pans if you want to make the full recipe. But keep in mind that you have to set up a water bath, which means that the big pan has to fit inside an even bigger pan filled with hot water. This combo will not fit in a standard oven. And besides, how many people are you serving?

For practical purposes, I've cut the recipe in half. Use a half-size pan, 10 by 12 inches and 2-1/2 to 3 inches deep. These are also easy to find in supermarkets. Get one of the full-size pans, too, for your water bath.

Mendiola-Flores uses dinner rolls, which she slices “;to give it that nice, thin-sliced appearance and texture.”; But she emphasizes that this is just her preference. Tear the bread if you like or if you've got only scraps. “;There is no right or wrong way.”;

And she offers a tip: It's easier to slice bread when it's frozen.

OAHU COUNTRY CLUB BREAD PUDDING

1-1/4 pounds dinner rolls (preferred) or day-old white bread
1/4 cup raisins, optional
9 large eggs
2-1/4 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 tablespoon vanilla extract
7 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10-by-12-inch aluminum pan with cooking oil spray.

Slice dinner rolls or break bread into pieces. Place in pan. Sprinkle with raisins, if using, and set aside.

Beat eggs and add sugar, salt and vanilla; whisk until fluffy.

Add milk and cream; mix well, then strain (this mixture is called guss). Pour evenly over bread in pan. Make sure bread absorbs most of the guss.

Spray sheet of foil with cooking oil spray. Cover pan loosely with foil.

Place pan into larger pan to create water bath. Place pans in oven. Add warm water to outer pan, about halfway up the sides. Bake 90 minutes.

Check pudding for doneness. Top should be firm, but center might be a little jiggly. It will set as it cools. Serve warm. Serves 12.

Nutritional information unavailable.

Can you help?

While we're on the subject of bread pudding, Sharon Cooper is searching for the recipe from the old Dick's Bakery in Kaimuki. “;As a child I would walk from Liliuokalani Elementary School weekly (if not more often) and buy a slice of their wonderful bread pudding.”;

If you have a clue, please get in touch.

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Send queries to “;By Request,”; Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813. Send e-mail to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).