The fall season calls for pumpkin flavored bread pudding! Thick bread cubes baked in a sweet pumpkin puree topped with homemade caramel. For more sweetness add a spoonful of silky whipped topping or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
8cups1 pound loaf Challah bread, cubed into 1 inch pieces)
6tablespoonsunsalted butterdivided
8large eggsroom temperature
2cupshalf & half
1cuplight brown sugar
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
2teaspoonspumpkin spice
½teaspoonsalt
115 oz. can pumpkin puree
Caramel sauce:
½cupunsalted butter
½cuplight brown sugar
½cupgranulated sugar
⅓cuphalf & half
½teaspoonvanilla extract
¼teaspoonsalt
Instructions
Butter the sides and bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with 2 tablespoons of butter. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, half & half, light brown sugar, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice blend, salt, and pumpkin puree. Be sure that all the eggs are well beaten and all the ingredients are well combined.
Into the bottom of the prepared 9x13 baking dish, place the cubed challah bread.
Slowly pour the egg mixture over the bread making sure you cover all the bread with the egg mixture. You can gently stir the mixture so that all of the bread is coated in egg mixture.
Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter and drizzle it over the entire top of the pumpkin bread pudding.
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours or up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350* F. While your oven is preheating you will want to allow your baking dish to sit at room temperature to warm up before placing it into a hot oven. This is especially important if you are using a glass baking dish.
Bake the pumpkin bread pudding for 45 minutes covered with aluminum foil. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until the top is lightly golden and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
While your pumpkin bread pudding finishes baking you can make your caramel sauce by adding the unsalted butter, granulated sugar and light brown sugar to a saucepan on medium heat. You will melt your butter and cook your sugars for 5-6 minutes, whisking constantly, or until the mixture reaches 220*F on a candy thermometer. Be very careful not to let your sugars burn.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the half & half, vanilla extract and salt until fully incorporated.
When the pumpkin bread pudding comes out of the oven, slowly pour the caramel sauce over the top of the warm bread pudding. Reserve about ½ cup of the caramel sauce to serve with individual servings.