Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Vanilla Bean Crème Anglaise

This pumpkin bread pudding may be just make you leave that classic pumpkin pie behind this year.  It has all that pumpkin flavor and spice you love, but in a much more decadent and unique form.

I served this for Thanksgiving a few years ago and, aside from poor time management on my part (I’m pretty sure we didn’t eat it until 9 pm), everyone was fawning over it.  I always seem to underestimate the time à la minute desserts (aka desserts you need to bake and serve warm) will take-but they’re usually amazingly delicious and impressive so I haven’t given up on them yet. Plus who cares if you eat dessert late?  It gives you a chance to digest the rest of your meal and EAT MORE.

This is a great recipe for entertaining because you can make parts of it well ahead and it makes great leftovers.  All the better to send your guests home with some deliciousness to remind them of how great a hostess you are the next day!

The recipe gets a double hit of pumpkin and warm spices because the bread base is a pumpkin bread (versus traditional white or enriched bread like challah), plus pumpkin custard to envelope the bread.  Also, the pumpkin bread is so delicious that it could become your go-to recipe to make just for snacking.  Make the pumpkin bread at least a day ahead so it has time to dry out-even better to make it far in advance, cube it and throw it in the freezer.  You’ll be drying it out slightly in the oven before assembling the bread pudding, so it will be the perfect texture to absorb the custard either way.  You can make the pumpkin custard and soak the bread cubes a little in advance, so the only thing you really need to do is put together your water bath and bake the bread pudding.

The crème anglaise is the perfect creamy accompaniment to the bread pudding (and many other desserts).  Once you have the technique down, you’ll find ways to incorporate it into lots of desserts, I promise. You can (and should) also make this ahead.  Drizzle with caramel sauce (homemade or store-bought, whatever tickles your fancy) and game over.

(Also, do you know how hard it is to get the perfect streaming drizzle with one hand and take a picture with a big, wieldy camera in the other?  See above.)

This is best served warm-or warmed up in the microwave for leftovers.  I promise, this will be the star of the dessert table this holiday (you guys do have dessert tables at your Thanksgiving, right?)!

Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Vanilla Bean Creme Anglaise

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• Author: Amanda
• Yield: 8 servings

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Description

The most decadent pumpkin dessert with double the pumpkin flavor!  Pumpkin bread is transformed into bread pudding with the help of a rich pumpkin custard.  Serve with crème anglaise and caramel sauce for an over-the-top holiday dessert.

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Ingredients

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PUMPKIN BREAD:

• 1-3/4 cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 4 tablespoons (57 grams) butter, softened
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1-1/2 cups (297 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (8 ounces) canned pure pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup water

PUMPKIN CUSTARD:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 vanilla bean, halved and seeds scraped
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup (99 grams) granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 cup (8 ounces) canned pure pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• Vanilla Bean Crème Anglaise, to serve
• Warmed caramel sauce, to serve

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Instructions

1. To make the pumpkin bread: Preheat the oven to 350°.  Lightly spray the bottom and sides of a 9-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves to combine.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, vegetable oil and sugar together at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Be sure to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl several times throughout this mixing process.  Add the pumpkin puree and mix on medium-low speed to combine.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Slowly add the flour mixture on low speed and mix just until combined.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and transfer to the oven.  Bake for 60 to 75 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.  Once cool, cut into 1-inch cubes.  At this point, you can leave the bread cubes out overnight to dry, or transfer to a gallon-sized freezer bag to freeze until ready to use.
5. When ready to assemble the bread pudding, preheat the oven to 325°.   Transfer the cubes to a large baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, stirring once.  This should take about 20 to 22 minutes.  Let cool completely.  Keep the oven on.
6. To make the pumpkin custard: Combine the cream, milk, vanilla bean and seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.  Remove the vanilla bean.
7. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, maple syrup, and pumpkin puree.  Once the cream mixture is simmering, slowly whisk into the egg mixture until combined. Whisk in the bourbon.  Strain the custard into a clean bowl.
8. Lightly spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Scatter the toasted pumpkin bread cubes in the dish; try to ensure there are no gaps in the layer.  Pour the custard over the bread cubes, pressing down lightly to fully submerge the bread.  Let sit for at least 15 minutes, but preferably 30 to 40 minutes.
9. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan and transfer to the oven.  Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come about halfway up the sides of the baking dish.  Bake until the edges are beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan and the bread pudding is set but still a little jiggly, about 60 to 65 minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes before serving with the Crème Anglaise and caramel sauce.

Notes

Inspiration: Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Spicy Caramel Apple Sauce and Vanilla Bean Crème Anglaise on foodnetwork.com

• Category: Cobblers, Crisps & Bread Pudding