Pecan, Bourbon & Butterscotch Bread PuddingPrint Recipe

This recipe arrived in this months Bon Appetit and it made my mouth water. I planned to write a couple of paragraphs on how wonderful it is, how the poppyseeds and pecans add a lovely crunch and the side of butterscotch sauce is just heaven – not to mention the tipple of Bourbon which really sets it apart from other puddings – but no! Instead I spent my precious time clearing out hundreds of spam comments.

And just to let you know (you spammers you!!!), I am not interested in your ‘hot nanny’ or your ‘dirty housekeeper’, I do not want to buy illegal prescription drugs, nor do I want fake Chanel bags and shoes. And I am especially not interested in something that would enlarge my genetalia (seriously?). So stop wasting my time and stop wasting yours – there is no benefit to these messages on my blog.

So anyway, now that I have that off my chest, I am going to sit down and enjoy my pudding. Did I tell you I love this pudding?!

Butterscotch Sauce
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups of tightly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or more if you wish)

Pudding
1 pound day-old challah or brioche, cut into 1/2” cubes (12 cups)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 cups sugar
5 large eggs
4 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
Pinch of kosher salt
3 tablespoons bourbon
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
2 cups pecan pieces

Butterscotch Sauce
To make sauce, melt the butter in a heavy based saucepan over a moderate heat and add brown sugar all at once, cook over a low heat for 3 minutes stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Bring the heat right down and stir in the cream, mixing until the cream and sugar mixture are uniform, then bring heat back up and simmer sauce for 10 minutes, whisking occasionally. Cool and add vanilla and salt to taste and set aside.

Pudding
Toss bread, melted butter, and 2 tablespoons sugar in a large bowl and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar in another large bowl until pale yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add cream, poppy seeds, and salt; beat to blend.

Place bourbon in a small bowl, scrape in seeds from vanilla bean (reserve bean for another use). Whisk to distribute seeds, then add to egg mixture, whisking to blend well. Pour egg mixture over bread mixture in bowl. Add pecans and toss to coat well.

Transfer mixture to a 13x9x2” glass or ceramic baking dish, spreading out in an even layer. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.

Preheat oven to 325°. Remove plastic wrap and bake until top is browned in spots and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 1 1/4–1 1/2 hours. Serve bread pudding with butterscotch sauce.

Yield: a dessert for 8 – 10 people

Notes: I used my own Butterscotch sauce recipe because I really like it, also my quantity of it is quite large but I think it is needed – if you are serving a quite few people you do not want to run out!

Source: adapted from Anita Lo from Bon Appetit

© 2011, Michelle. All rights reserved.