Recipe: Pecan Pie Bread Pudding

Oh snap. It’s the day before Thanksgiving and you still haven’t decided on what dessert to make. By this point, pumpkin pie, apple pie, pretty much all pies are probably claimed by someone else. But you said you’d bring dessert. YOU SAID.

But wait, what is this loaf of bread here, and these pecans? Can it be – it is – bread pudding.

This dessert is one of the easiest things to make in a pinch, and even though it’s not pie, it brings out the spirit of pecan pie like you ain’t never seen before. Put some booze in their for good measure and you’ve got yourself a dessert to remember.

To make things even easier, throw everything into the pan the night before and let the bread soak overnight to take in all the pecan pie-flavored goodness. During your meal, pop these in the oven and they’ll be ready to go by dessert. If you want to make these entirely beforehand, that’s totally fine, but just warm them up before serving – if there’s one dessert that you don’t want ever want to eat cold, it’s bread pudding. It’s just not the same.

I hope everyone is offline this weekend spending time with friends and family! Mass eating aside, this truly is a time for thanks, and I gotta say, I’m thankful for all of y’all who stop by and read this blog thang of mine. Send me some dessert photos from your meals!

Happy Thanksgiving!

    

Pecan Pie Bread Pudding

[ingredients]

Directions

1. Spray a 9×9 pan or a 12-cup muffin tin and set aside.
2. If the bread isn’t stale enough, spread the cubes on a baking tray and pop them in the oven for 10-15 minutes to dry them out. You want them pretty stale so they can soak up the caramel.
3. Place the bread cubes in the prepared pan and set aside.
4. In a medium, heavy-bottomed pan, combine the sugar with a few tablespoons of water until everything is evenly coated. Heat on high and caramelize until the sugar is a dark-brown color and a drop of it placed on the kitchen counter turns into a soft ball, about 8 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and add cream, butter, salt, and bourbon. Let cool for 5 minutes.
6. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and cinnamon. Add caramel and combine. Whisk in pecans.
7. Pour the custard evenly over the bread cubes, pressing down on the bread to make sure everything is submerged. Wrap pan tightly and refrigerate overnight.
8. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap pan and bake bread puddings for 30-35 minutes until the tops are crispy and toasty. Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before serving with more caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, or ice cream.