I love to save leftover bits from the homemade loaves of Rustic Dutch Oven Bread in the freezer until I have enough to make a batch of this delicious bread pudding. If you don't have leftover homemade bread or a baguette on hand, feel free to substitute cubes of whatever sort of bread you like. Homemade or not, any sort of toasted bread will make a delicious French Toast the next morning.This recipe combines the flavor of French Toast with the texture and ease of bread pudding. Every cube of bread soaks up the eggy custard, puffing up as it bakes, creating both soft and crunchy textures. This dish has everything: beauty, flavor, texture, and the assumption that you must have spent hours in the kitchen creating such a delicious, comforting dish. Knowing that you didn’t just might make it taste even better.
Servings: 8people
Author: Jennifer from 1840 Farm
Ingredients
5large eggs
6ounceshalf and half
6ounceswhole milk
1Tablespoonvanilla extract
1TablespoonGrand Marnier
1large French baguette (about 1 pound) or other bread (see note above)
4ounces(1 stick) butter, cubed
1cupbrown sugar
1Tablespoonhoney
⅛teaspoonsea salt
Instructions
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half, milk, vanilla extract, and Grand Marnier. Using a serrated knife, cut the bread into 1 inch cubes. Add the bread cubes to the egg mixture and stir gently with a spatula to coat each cube. Allow the bread to rest in the egg mixture as the caramel is prepared.
In a small pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar, honey, and salt. Stir over medium heat until the mixture is smooth. Remove the caramel from heat.
Transfer the caramel to a large oven safe casserole dish (I use my lasagna pan). Spread the caramel to fully cover the bottom of the pan. Using a spatula, gently transfer the soaked bread cubes to the pan, distributing them to evenly fill the pan and cover the caramel. Cover the pan and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the pan from the refrigerator and place on a large baking sheet. When the oven has come up to temperature, place the pan in the oven and bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes. When the bread is perfectly baked, it will be puffed and golden on the edges.
Remove the pan from the oven, pour the coffee, and serve. I like to use a large spatula to remove a serving from the baking pan. By turning the spatula upside down to plate the bread pudding, the gooey caramel will be on top, making its way through the bread cubes to the plate below. It’s a feast for the eyes and the taste buds. Enjoy!