Creating Easy Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce is straightforward if you follow these simple steps:

1. Preheat the Oven: Start by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter.

2. Prepare the Bread: In a large bowl, combine the cubed bread and melted butter. Toss until the bread is evenly coated.

3. Whisk the Custard: In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and salt until well blended.

4. Combine Mixtures: Pour the custard mixture over the bread cubes. Gently stir to ensure all the bread is soaked.

5. Add Raisins: If using, sprinkle the raisins over the mixture and gently fold them in.

6. Transfer to Baking Dish: Pour the entire mixture into the prepared baking dish, spreading it out evenly.

7. Bake: Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the bread pudding is set and golden brown on top.

8. Cool: Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.

9. Make the Vanilla Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Adjust the consistency with more milk if needed.

10. Serve: Drizzle the vanilla sauce generously over slices of warm bread pudding.