Easy Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding Recipe - In Under 1 Hour

Cooler weather approaches and the dog days of summer fall away. I always start to crave this pumpkin spice bread pudding with pecan praline topping recipe right around fall and throughout the winter holiday seasons. This recipe can be used all year long and goes great as an alternative to pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving or Christmas as well.

Easy to prepare in just about one hour and so delicious both as a dessert or even as breakfast with a delicious piping hot cup of coffee or tea.

Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding Recipe Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
• 1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
• 2 1/4 tsp Ground Saigon Cinnamon
• 1 Cup Organic Pumpin Puree (not pumpkin pie filling!)
• 1/4 tsp Ground Allspice
• 2 tsp Neilsen Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar, packed
• 3 tbsp Unsulfured Blackstrap Molasses
• 2/3 Cup Heavy Cream or Manufacturing Cream
• 1 1/3 Cup Whole Milk
• 6 Eggs, room temperature
• 1 lb Loaf of Day Old Sourdough, Brioche, Texas Toast or French Bread
• Non Stick Cooking Spray (Pam, Vegelene, Crisco Spray, etc)

Ingredients for the Pecan Praline Topping

• 1 Cup Unsalted Pecan Halves, toasted, roughly chopped
• 6 tbsp Unsalted Butter, cold, cubed
• 1 tsp Ground Saigon Cinnamon
• 1/3 Cup King Arthur Organic Unbleached All Purpose Flour
• 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1 oz Bourbon Whiskey

How to Prepare Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding

1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. (Conventional, 325 degrees convection)
2. Slice the day-old bread into 1-inch cubes, and spread it into a single layer on an unlined baking sheet.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add in eggs and whip to combine.
4. Add all of the remaining bread pudding ingredients to the bowl and whip on low speed until well combined.
5. Place the bread into the oven, tossing it every 3-5 minutes until lightly golden brown. Note, you aren't making salad croutons here, so lightly toast the bread but make sure to leave some moisture left in it. Remove from oven and set aside to cool once it's lightly golden brown.
6. Generously spray a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with cooking spray
7. Add the toasted bread to the baking dish.
8. Pour the liquid from the mixing bowl over the top of the bread, coating each piece of bread evenly. Gently press the bread into the liquid mixture every 5 minutes for a total of 15 minutes to ensure the even soaking of each bread cube.
9. In the bowl of your food processor, combine flour, salt, cinnamon, bourbon whiskey, and brown sugar. Add in the cold butter cubes, and pulse 8-10 times or just until everything has come together. Then add in the pecans and pulse 3 more times for 1 second each.
10. Place the topping into the fridge until ready to bake the pumpkin spice bread pudding.
11. Evenly distribute the pecan praline topping over the pumpkin spice bread pudding. Make sure to distribute all the way to the corners to evenly coat the entire dish without creating high spots that could potentially burn while baking.
12. Place the 9 x 13 dish onto a rimmed foil-lined baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees F for 25-40 minutes or until puffed and just set. The bread pudding will slightly jiggle when tapped.
13. Remove the pumpkin spice bread pudding from the oven and let it cool at room temperature for 20 minutes.
14. Slice into 3x3 squares, and top the pumpkin spice bread pudding with either our maple mascarpone slightly sweetened whipped cream, or your favorite pecan praline ice cream for some extra decadence.

Check out our other recipes, tips & tricks for Easy, Effortless, Entertaining from AWG Private Chefs! 

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• 7 Reasons Why People are Hiring a Private Chef for Their Next Dinner Party

About the Author: Certified Master Chef, Sommelier & Wine Educator, Sean Andrade is the executive chef/owner of AWG Private Chefs, named the #1 Private Chef company in California. Chef Sean has worked in the restaurant and hospitality industries worldwide for more than 25 years. His company AWG Private Chefs offers highly custom-tailored, bespoke private chef dining experiences, and private event catering in over 30 countries around the globe.