Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding with Maple Toffee Sauce
Heather Baird
Bread pudding gets a fall twist with pumpkin puree and spices. It’s simple to assemble and casual enough for a weekday treat, but also fitting for a holiday dinner. Serve it warm with scoops of ice cream for an extra-indulgent treat.
Grease a 2-quart shallow baking dish with cooking spray.
Combine the half and half, milk, eggs, sugars, spices, and vanilla in an extra-large bowl and whisk to combine. Whisk in the pumpkin puree. Add cubed brioche, and toss to coat them in the mixture. Stir in the raisins, if using. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Cover and chill for at least one hour before baking.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Remove bread pudding from refrigerator, and bake uncovered 35-40 minutes, or until set in the center. Test with a knife inserted in the center of the pudding. It will come out clean when done. Place the pan on a wire rack and let cool slightly, about 15-20 minutes before serving.
Maple toffee sauce
While the bread pudding cools, prepare the sauce. Combine the butter, maple syrup and toffee over medium high heat. Cook until the toffee begins to melt, then gradually whisk in the evaporated milk. Cook while whisking until the mixture is consistent. There will be a few bits of almonds from the brickle floating in the syrup, so expect this. Transfer to a small serving pitcher and let cool.
Serve the bread pudding warm with a generous drizzle of warm maple toffee sauce.
Notes
Bits O’ Brickle is a baking ingredient that can usually be found in grocery stores in the baking aisle beside the chocolate chips. Or order it online.French bread can be used in place of the brioche. It will need more time to soak up the custard due to its firmer texture, so plan on refrigerating it for 4 hours, or overnight before baking.