Snickerdoodle Bread Pudding

Post and images by guest blogger, Rebecca White, of A Pleasant Little Kitchen. 

Visit her full blog or find out more about her here. 

One of the easiest and versatile recipes to make is a bread pudding. And I’ll let you in on a little secret. Once you master the basic foundation of bread pudding, you’ll never need to use a recipe again.

There are many reasons why I enjoy making bread pudding. This recipe

can be either sweet or savory.

can use fresh or stale bread.

can be made the day ahead

is easy to reheat for leftovers

is one most people are going to enjoy it (let’s face it, you’re never going to satisfy EVERYONE’S cravings)

There is a general equation that I follow when making bread pudding:

toasted diced bread + flavored custard + 50-60 minute bake time = bread pudding

Now this equation can also include accessories depending on whether the bread pudding is sweet or savory. For a sweet pudding the add-ins could be nuts or dried fruit while a savory pudding could include bacon fresh herbs or cheese.

A few essential things to remember about the ingredients used in the equation are:

1– quality bread will enhance the overall product. Market Street has a lovely variety of breads from Organic Rustic Italian to Cinnamon Chip to satisfy your bread pudding needs.

2– a robust and flavorful custard will add layers of taste to your bread pudding. The custard (warm milk/cream combined with eggs) is where the overall flavor comes from. Choose pastured eggs with a good yolk. Don’t be afraid to be a little heavy handed with the flavors added (cinnamon, vanilla, herbs). The bread absorbs a lot of this flavor and it’s easy for it to get lost.

But wait!! I know you’re super pumped and ready to race over to Market Street to grab all the ingredients to make bread pudding but I haven’t shared the recipe yet.

This month, try your hand at Snickerdoodle Bread Pudding. That beloved cookie is now ready to be incorporated into a make-ahead easy to assemble treat. And the accessory to this sweet treat is homemade caramel sauce. But don’t worry if making caramel doesn’t sound appealing, just grab your favorite brand and get baking!

NOW you can bolt over to Market Street and grab a few loaves of freshly baked bread and quality ingredients to bake your new favorite dessert.

Snickerdoodle Bread Pudding

Serves: 6-8

6 cups challah bread, crusts removed and diced into 1 inch cubes

2 cups half and half

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cinnamon stick

3/4 cup sugar

4 eggs

streusel (recipe below)

caramel sauce (recipe below)

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place the bread on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for 8-10 minutes.

3. Remove from the oven and let cool.

4. Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan combine the half and half, cream, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract and cinnamon stick. Warm on low heat for 15 minutes.

5. Place the eggs and sugar into a medium sized bowl. Whisk well to combine.

6. Remove the liquid from the stovetop and temper the sugar egg mixture. To temper, whisk the egg mixture quickly while slowly adding the warm liquid (about 1/4 cup at a time) until all the liquid is combined. Now you have created a custard.

7. Place the bread into a 9x9 baking pan. Pour the custard over the bread. Be sure the tops of the challah are coated.

8. Place into the oven and cook for 15 minutes.

9. After 15 minutes, open the oven and add the streusel evenly on top of the bread pudding (you will not have to use all of it, just enough to lightly dust the top).

10. Close the oven door and increase the heat to 375 degrees. Bake for another 25-30 minutes, or until the bread pudding is cooked through.

11. Serve warm topped with caramel.

for the streusel

1/4 cup cinnamon sugar (click here for recipe)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1. Place the sugar and butter into a bowl. With your fingers combine until the sugar and butter are well mixed.

for the caramel sauce

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 1/2 cups sugar

6 tablespoons water

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

3/4 cup cream

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Add 3/4 cup of sugar, cream of tartar and water into a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat for six minutes, or until the sugar is dissolved.

2. Add the remaining 3/4 cups of sugar to the sauce pan and increase the heat to high. Stir well. Bring to a boil and continue to cook for an additional 7-8 minutes, or until the sugar is a golden amber color. Stir occasionally.

3. Remove from the heat and add the butter, stirring constantly. Slowly add the cream in about 4-5 batches. Stirring constantly.

4. Add the salt and stir to incorporate.

5. Let cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

6. Store up to 3-4 weeks.