This warm pudding is so quick to make and is perfect on a cold fall day. If you normally don’t like bread pudding, try this recipe. It just may make a convert out of you.
Ingredients:
2 C half and half
1 15-ounce can pureed pumpkin OR
1 2/3 C pureed cooked pumpkin from your garden
1 C packed brown sugar
2 eggs
11⁄2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
11⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon
11⁄2 tsp vanilla extract
10 C bread cut into 1⁄2 inch cubes
1⁄2 C raisins (optional)
Caramel sauce
11⁄4 C packed brown sugar
1⁄2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter
1⁄2 C whipping cream
Powdered sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Mix together all ingredients except for bread crumbs. Mix well, until it’s smooth. Fold in bread crumbs and raisins. Pour mixture to a large baking dish. Let stand 15 minutes to allow bread crumbs to absorb the liquid.
Bake about 40 minutes or until until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
While pudding is baking, prepare caramel sauce. Whisk brown sugar and butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until butter melts. Whisk in cream and stir until sugar dissolves and sauce is smooth, about 3 minutes.
When pudding comes out of the oven, dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm drizzled with caramel sauce.
Hint: If you don’t normally buy half and half or cream to have on hand, you may want to just buy a pint of whipping cream for this recipe. Mix 1 C cream with 1 C whole milk to make the half and half in the pudding recipe. Then use 1⁄2 C of the cream in the caramel sauce. Then whip up the last 1⁄2 C of cream with 1 tablespoon powdered sugar and serve pudding with just a dollop of whipped cream on top.
