Spiced French Bread Pudding Recipes

SPICED BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Place the cinnamon, nutmeg, dried orange peel, cloves, peppercorns, and ginger into 3 cups of half-and-half in a microwavable container and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Check the temperature of the mixture and microwave in 30 second increments until it reaches 180 degrees F. Cover and steep 15 minutes.
• Place the eggs and yolks in a blender with an 8-cup carafe. Blend on the lowest speed for 30 seconds. Raise the speed to quarter power and slowly add the sugars and blend until thickened slightly, about 1 minute. Add the remaining 2 cups half-and-half. With the machine still running, pour in the spiced half-and-half through a small hand strainer and add the rum. Use immediately, or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 72 hours.
• Preheat the oven on the lowest (or warm) setting.
• Cut a 7-inch round disk off the top of the boule using a long bread knife or serrated slicer. Tear the disk into pieces and scatter in a large roasting pan. Cut all the way around the inside of the boule just inside the outer wall. Cut downward and across the interior of the bread, first in one direction, then 90 degrees to it to create a grid, the way you would cube mango flesh to remove it from the skin. Remove the plugs of bread and tear into hunks about the size of an egg. Add to the roasting pan and bake until bread is dry, 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Sprinkle the fruit over the bread, pour in the custard, and press the bread to submerge all the pieces. Cover and soak for 2 hours at room temperature or for up to 8 hours in the refrigerator.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Pour the melted butter into a spray bottle and spritz the inside of the bread shell. Be sure to cover the bottom with a thin layer to prevent the custard from soaking through. Place the bread shell in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet and place in the oven to toast the interior for 30 minutes.
• Remove the bread shell from the oven and transfer the soaked bread mixture into the shell. Bake until the bread pudding souffles and reaches an internal temperature of 165 to 170 degrees F, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove and cool 30 minutes before slicing or scooping and serving.

BREAD PUDDING WITH SPICED RUM SAUCE

Steps:

• Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Whisk eggs in large bowl to blend. Add milk, sugar, cream, and vanilla; whisk to blend well. Stir in bread and raisins. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake pudding uncovered until puffed and golden, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool slightly (pudding will fall). Serve warm with Spiced Rum Sauce.

SPICED FRENCH BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• cut bread into 1 inch cubes, place in ungreased 13x9-inch pan and either dry in warm oven for a couple of hours, toast lightly in 350°F oven (preferred), or toast in 350°F oven till light brown and dry.
• Chop or puree raisins.
• Sift or sieve sugar, spices and salt into a plastic bag and shake to mix.
• Heat milk, butter, eggs, yolks, raisins and sugar mixture in a sauce pan on low heat stirring constantly until butter's melted and sugar is dissolved, remove from heat if steam starts to appear.
• (You don't want to cook the eggs just yet!)
• Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and immediately pour custard over dried bread.
• If desired strain mixture with a fine strainer to remove raisins and any egg chalazae.
• Mix and press down on bread to be sure it's all covered.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Allow custard to soak into bread cubes until cooled (about an hour).
• Occasionally stirring to evenly distribute mixture.
• Can be refrigerated for up-to 12 hours at this point.
• Bake in 350°F oven for 50-60 minutes (top will be browned and pudding should start to rise out of the pan).
• --------Variations--------------.
• Add a cup of toasted and chopped pecans or walnuts to custard.
• Replace 1/2 tbsp of the vanilla with another extract or liquor.
• Add some white, cinnamon or chocolate chips to custard.
• Replace 1/2 of the milk with heavy cream or 1/2 and 1/2 (makes it rich!).
• Use skim milk, delete butter, use whole wheat bread, reduce sugar to 1 cup, replace eggs/yolks with egg substitute for a "healthy version".
• Add some dried apple or banana to custard.
• Use 1 cup of sugar and add 1/2 cup of maple syrup.
• Replace up-to half the sugar with brown sugar.
• Serve with bourbon sauce, whip cream, ice cream.

FRENCH TOAST BREAD PUDDING WITH SPICED PEARS

Steps:

• The night before, make the French toast: smear the butter over the bottom and sides of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish or other shallow 2-quart baking dish. Tear the bread into small pieces and scatter in the dish.
• In a large measuring cup or small bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until light. Add the milk and vanilla and whisk well. Pour over the bread evenly. Tamp down the bread with a spoon or spatula to submerge each piece in egg mixture. Cover with foil, gently pressing down so the foil is right on the surface of the mixture. Refrigerate overnight.
• The next morning, remove the dish and slide it into a cold oven with the foil on. Turn oven on to 350 degrees F. After 25 minutes, gently pull off and discard the foil. Continue to bake until pudding is puffed and golden brown, about 20 more minutes.
• In the meantime, prepare the spiced pears: melt butter in a wide frying pan (preferably nonstick) over medium-high heat then add the pears. Stir until pears are coated well with butter, then sprinkle sugar, cinnamon, and a good pinch of fresh nutmeg; continue to cook about 3 minutes until pears begin to soften. Pour in 1/4 cup of maple syrup; cook until bubbly then remove from heat.
• To serve, spoon bread pudding onto plates and top with spiced pears. Pass additional maple syrup at the table.

OLD-FASHIONED BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• Cut or rip the french loaf into bite size pieces.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the 1/2 cup of butter and brown the bread. The bread should absorb all of the butter in the pan. Stir continuously.
• When all the butter is absorbed, pour the bread into a 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle the raisins evenly over the bread.
• In a large bowl mix the milk, eggs, sugar, extract, and rum.
• Pour over the bread and raisins in the casserole dish.
• Bake for 1 hour, checking at the 40 minute mark. The casserole is done when the liquid is set, top has browned, and is pulling away from the sides of the casserole dish.
• To make the glaze, combine ingredients with a whisk and pour over the warm bread pudding. Then serve.

PUMPKIN BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter or grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
• Cut or tear the bread into 1-inch squares. Place it in the baking dish and place in the preheating oven for 5 to 10 minutes until lightly dried but not browned.
• Meanwhile, whisk the eggs. Then whisk in the milk, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Pour it over the bread in the pan and mix it with your hands until fully coated.
• Place in the oven and bake 45 to 50 minutes, until it is puffed and golden and you can no longer see standing liquid. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Make ahead: This recipe is great made ahead: make it day of and allow to sit at room temperature until serving, or make it 1 day in advance and refrigerate. If you'd like, you can crisp up the top by reheating it in a 350 degree oven until warmed.
• Prior to serving, in a small saucepan, whisk together all bourbon sauce ingredients over medium heat. When it starts to simmer, simmer lightly bubbling for 3 minutes, maintaining the heat at medium to medium low so that it doesn't bubble heavily. Once it turns golden brown at about 3 minutes, taste and make sure the flavor is caramelly with a hint of bourbon (the bite of the bourbon should be cooked out). Remove from the heat and strain it into a pitcher. Makes 3/4 cup; make up to 3 days in advance, refrigerate, and warm over medium heat before serving.

SPICED BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Bread Pudding:.
• Preheat over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Butter a 9" X 13" baking dish.
• Separate eggs, place egg whites on counter for 20 minutes.
• Combine egg yolks, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, milk, creamer, raisins, walnuts, and bread cubes; let soak on counter until egg whites have reached room temperature.
• Beat egg whites until foamy.
• Gently fold egg whites into the bread mixture.
• Pour into buttered dish.
• Bake for 40 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Pudding will be very moist.
• Rum Sauce:.
• Combine brown sugar and flour in medium saucepan over medium heat.
• Stir in half-n-half, spiced rum, and nutmeg, stirring constantly.
• After the mixture reaches a boil, about 2 minutes, remove from heat and stir in the butter.
• Pour over hot pudding and serve.