roasted pear bread pudding.

my dad LOVES bread pudding. he always has.

my dad eating my first bread pudding, circa 2009

i never understood what the big deal was or why he liked pudding so much.  you see, before i had ever tried bread pudding, i always thought it was something similar to the pudding bill cosby raves about.

[source.]

but no. bread pudding is nothing like jell-o pudding.

bread pudding is delicious. bread pudding is sweet, warm and gooey.  bread pudding is the dessert version of french toast. bread pudding absolutely, positively fantastic.

anniversary bread pudding in south lake tahoe, circa 2011

i have made bread pudding from scratch a number of times. it is actually a very simple dessert to make. it is also a dessert that can easily be made ahead of time and reheated when time to serve.

marshall & i picked up a huge box of pears at the farmers market last saturday, so i decided to throw some into the mix when i made bread pudding on sunday. that was the best idea i’ve had all month!

roasted pear bread pudding

makes 16 servings, adapted from this recipe

ingredients:

for the pudding:

• 1 loaf white french bread cut into 1” cubes and set out to stale overnight (yield about 6 cups unpacked)
• 2 pears, diced small
• 1 TB cinnamon, divided
• 2 TB butter, melted
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup evaporated cane juice (or white sugar)
• 1/2 cup agave
• 1 TB vanilla bean paste (or extract)
• 2 cups milk, divided (any kind will work)

for the topping:

• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts work best)
• 1/4 cup butter, softened

for the sauce:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup evaporated cane juice (or white sugar)
• 1 egg
• 1 TB vanilla bean paste (or extract)
• 2 oz whiskey (optional)

directions:

1. preheat oven to 400°.
2. combine diced pears, 1 tsp cinnamon and melted butter in a small bowl.
3. spread pears into a single layer on a baking dish and place in oven for 15-20 minutes.
4. meanwhile, combine eggs, evaporated cane juice, agave, vanilla, 1 1/2 cups milk and remaining 2 tsp of cinnamon in a mixing bowl. mix well (about 2 minutes.)
5. add the stale bread to the mixing bowl and gently stir—don’t break the bread but make sure all pieces are saturated with the egg mixture. let soak for 10-15 minutes (until the pears are done.)
6. remove pears from oven and reduce oven heat to 350°.
7. add the pears to the mixing bowl. stir to combine, then dump the mixture into a 13” x 9” baking dish. top with the remaining 1/2 cup of milk.
8. topping time! combine brown sugar, chopped nuts and butter in a small bowl.
9. sprinkle this mixture evenly over the bread pudding.
10. bake for 35-40 minutes, until top is golden brown and edges are crisp.
11. you can opt to serve immediately or cover with foil until ready to serve. if you are waiting, make sure you reheat individual servings as it is best served hot!
12. for the sauce, combine the butter, evaporated cane juice, egg and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the butter melts.
13. if desired, whisk in the whisky and remove from heat.
14. top each slice of bread pudding with a bit of sauce and enjoy! you will probably enjoy it even more if you serve it with vanilla ice cream… just saying.

photo tutorial:

preheat oven to 400°.

combine diced pears, 1 tsp cinnamon and melted butter in a small bowl.

spread pears into a single layer on a baking dish and place in oven for 15-20 minutes.

meanwhile, combine eggs, evaporated cane juice, agave, vanilla, milk and remaining 2 tsp of cinnamon in a mixing bowl. mix well (about 2 minutes.)

add the stale bread to the mixing bowl and gently stir—don’t break the bread but make sure all pieces are saturated with the egg mixture. let soak for 10-15 minutes (until the pears are done.)

remove pears from oven and reduce oven heat to 350°.

add the pears to the mixing bowl. stir to combine, then dump the mixture into a 13” x 9” baking dish. top with remaining 1/2 cup of milk.

topping time! combine brown sugar, chopped nuts and butter in a small bowl.

i crushed my nuts with a spoon while they were still in the bag!

sprinkle this mixture evenly over the bread pudding.

bake for 35-40 minutes, until top is golden brown and edges are crisp.

you can opt to serve immediately or cover with foil until ready to serve. if you are waiting, make sure you reheat individual servings as it is best served hot!

for the sauce, combine the butter, evaporated cane juice, egg and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the butter melts.

if desired, whisk in the whisky and remove from heat. half of my fam wanted whiskey sauce and the other half wanted it without, so i divided the two before serving.

top each slice of bread pudding with a bit of sauce and enjoy!

you will probably enjoy it even more if you serve it with vanilla ice cream… just saying.

this recipe makes 16 servings. my calculations are from thedailyplate.com using almond milk, evaporated cane juice and pecans. the stats with the sauce are before the whiskey—i don’t like the whiskey in the sauce.. it gives me flashbacks.

per serving without sauce: 292 calories, 44g carbs, 21g sugar, 7g protein, 10g fat, 3g fiber.

per serving with sauce: 362 calories, 49g carbs, 26g sugar, 7g protein, 16g fat, 3g fiber.

yep, it’s a sugar bomb. yep, it’s totally worth it. and the pears in there make it health food… right?

of course, right.

Q~

do you like bread pudding? have you ever made it?

xo. janetha g.