French Toast Bread Pudding With Spiced Pears Recipes

PEAR BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, stir together the brown sugar, 1/4 cup white sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Mix in the butter and 1 tablespoon of vanilla just until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, 1 cup white sugar, half-and-half, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, pear brandy and salt.
• Line the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish with a layer of bread. Top with a layer of pear. Pour about 1/4 of the custard over the layers followed by about 1/3 of the heavy cream. Sprinkle with some of the crumb topping. Repeat layers until you are out of ingredients, ending with the crumb topping on top. Press down on the layers as needed to help them absorb the liquid. Cover the pan with parchment paper then seal with aluminum foil. Place another baking pan on top or two dinner plates to keep it from puffing while it bakes.
• Place the pudding onto a larger pan or cookie sheet with sides. Pour boiling water into the bottom pan until it is half way full.
• Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue baking for 25 minutes. Pudding is done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

ALICE'S CURIOUS FRENCH TOAST BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• 2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, orange and lemon juices, and cinnamon. Whisk the mixture until it is smooth and combined, but do not overbeat it. Place each slice of bread into the mixture and let it absorb the liquid thoroughly. Set the soaked bread aside on a plate.
• 3. Place a griddle or a large frying pan over medium heat and coat it with butter. When the griddle is hot, cook each slice of bread until it is nicely golden on both sides, keeping the heat at a level that allows the bread to cook through evenly without burning the egg mixture. As they are cooked, set the slices aside on a plate.
• 4. While the bread is cooking, make the pudding base: Bring the heavy cream to a simmer in a small saucepan, and then remove it from the heat. Place the tea leaves in a tea strainer and steep them in the cream for 3 minutes (or simply put the loose tea in the cream, steep for 3 minutes, and then strain carefully). Discard the tea leaves and reserve the apricot Brandy cream.
• 5. In a medium bowl, combine the egg yolks, beaten egg, and sugar, and whisk to combine. Add a little of the egg mixture to the apricot Brandy cream and continuing to whisk, gradually add the remaining egg mixture until it's fully combined. Stir in the vanilla extract. Set the pudding base aside.
• 6. When all the bread has been cooked on the griddle, cut the slices into 1 × 1-inch squares.
• 7. Pour the pudding base evenly into the eight ramekins (they will be about one-fourth full), and then lay in the bread squares (the bread may extend above the edge of the ramekins). Place the ramekins on a large baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes, or until the bread is golden and crispy and the liquid is bubbling.
• 8. To serve, drizzle maple syrup, crème anglaise, fruit coulis, and/or confectioners' sugar on top-whatever your heart desires! Slices of fresh fruit work wonderfully as a garnish or a side. Be generous, whatever you do!

FRENCH TOAST BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Cut the bread lengthwise into 1-inch-thick strips, cutting as far down through the loaf as you can without cutting all the way through. Rotate the bread 90 degrees and cut 1-inch strips in the other direction, without cutting all the way through. Put the loaf into a 1 1/2-quart oval baking dish.
• Whisk the milk, brown sugar, cinnamon and eggs in a medium bowl until smooth. Pour the egg mixture over the bread, making sure it gets in all the crevices. Stuff the chocolate pieces in between the rows. Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours and up to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Uncover the bread and drizzle with the butter. Put the baking dish in a larger baking dish and pour hot water into the larger dish until it comes 1 inch up the sides of the smaller dish. Bake until the eggs mixture is completely cooked and the top of the bread is dark golden brown and crispy, 60 to 65 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Serve with maple syrup on the side for dipping.

FRENCH TOAST BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Arrange the bread in two layers in a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish, cutting the bread to fit the dish. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, honey, orange zest, vanilla, and salt. Pour the mixture over the bread and press the bread down. Allow to soak for 10 minutes.
• Place the baking dish in a larger roasting pan and add enough very hot tap water to the roasting pan to come an inch up the side of the baking dish. Cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil, tenting it so the foil doesn't touch the pudding. Make two slashes in the foil to allow steam to escape. Bake for 45 minutes, remove the aluminum foil, and bake for another 40 to 45 minutes, until the pudding puffs up and the custard is set. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.
• With a small sieve, dust lightly with confectioners' sugar and serve hot in squares with maple syrup on the side.