12ouncesof bread cubes from challah or French Breadbrioche or French bread - about 10 cups fresh cubes
Bread Crumbs
1 ½cupsbreadcrumbsI used Panko
¼cupbrown sugar
1teaspooncinnamon
Caramel Pecan Sauce
1cuppecanschopped
1cuplight brown sugarfirmly packed
½cupbutter
4tbsbourbonoptional
1tablespoonwhite corn syrupI use Karo
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
Instructions
Pudding:
Whisk together all ingredients except the bread in a large bowl until well blended. Add bread pieces, stirring to thoroughly coat
Pour in a greased 13x9 inch pan. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill overnight or up to 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 350°. Remove the pudding from the fridge and let stand for 20 minutes.
Remove plastic wrap. Sprinkle on bread crumb mixture, and cover with aluminum foil.
Breadcrumbs
Mix bread crumbs, cinnamon, and ¼ cup brown sugar.
Bake, covered, at 350° for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes.
Sauce:
During last 15 minutes of baking, prepare Caramel-Pecan Sauce:
Heat pecans in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often, 3 to 5 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Remove pecans and add butter.
Melt and heat until golden brown.
Add brown sugar, bourbon, and syrup.
Cook brown sugar, butter, bourbon, and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes or until sugar is dissolved.
Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and pecans.
Remove bread pudding from oven; drizzle with Caramel-Pecan Sauce.
Bake 5 minutes longer or until sauce is thoroughly heated and begins to bubble.
Notes
Storage:Let the pumpkin bread pudding cool completely then cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.You can freeze this for up to 3 months but I don't care for the texture after it's been frozen and thawed.Tips:
Be sure to use pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling!
Soaking overnight allows all the flavors to blend before baking.
If you use homemade pumpkin puree make sure to press as much liquid out as possible.
Slightly stale bread works best.
Be sure to press down the bread cubes into the custard mixture so that all the bread gets soaked in the custard.
It's done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.