Alright, I have a fondness for pralines, but let's be honest, they can be quite challenging to prepare. So, I came up with the idea of “stuffing” their ingredients into bread pudding, creating a hassle-free, one-pan dessert. This is an absolute gem, especially during the holiday season. The aroma as it bakes is enough to warm anyone's heart. Now, a little backstory: I've never been a fan of traditional bread pudding because it often ends up either too soggy or too dry for my liking. However, I embarked on this culinary adventure, combining brioche bread with pumpkin puree, resulting in a dish that's incredibly moist and downright scrumptious. Believe me, this recipe completely revolutionized my perception of bread pudding, making it an absolute must-try.
Serving size: 6-8 people
Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Ingredients for the bread pudding:
- 1 large loaf of brioche or any bread, torn into pieces (use 1 dz donuts, cut into 4ths to make for a breakfast version)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups half & half
- 1 15 ounce can pumpkin purée
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- ¼ cup melted butter
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Ingredients for the praline sauce:
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray and place the bread pieces into the dish.
- In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except for the praline sauce ingredients.
- Slowly pour the batter over the bread pieces in the baking dish. Using a spatula, fold the sauce around so all the bread is covered.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
- While the bread pudding is baking, make the praline sauce.
- In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter then stir in the brown sugar and cream.
- Bring mixture to a boil for 1 minute.
- Reduce heat to low and stir in the pecans. Simmer until the sauce thickens for about 5 minutes.
- Pour the sauce over the bread pudding.
- Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!