Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and use 1 Tablespoon of butter to coat the inside of your 8 inch square baking dish.
Break your bread into the buttered baking dish.
Melt your remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, and drizzle over bread pieces.
In a bowl, mix remaining ingredients until mixed well.
Pour this mixture over the bread, making sure to evenly coat each piece.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top of the bread pudding springs back after lightly touching it with a fork.
For the optional buttery brown sugar sauce, melt 3 Tablespoons of salted butter in a small saucepan.
Once melted, turn it down to medium heat and let the butter brown.
Add in a tablespoon of brown sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla extract, stir to combine and remove from heat.
Let rest about 1-2 minutes, then pour on top of the cooked bread pudding.
