Recipe: Maple Bourbon Bread Pudding

Thanks to TBJ for the inspiration.

Ingredients:
4 slices white bread (or 2 slices whole wheat + 2 slices white) // You may remove the crusts
2 large egg yolks
3 Tbs. of Maple Syrup, plus more for drizzling
2 Tbs. bourbon (or whiskey) // Optional, but this is the whole point
3/4 c. heavy whipping cream
1/4 – 1/2 tsp. powdered cinnamon

1) Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the whole bread into 1/2-inch cubes, spread on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10 minutes. Lightly butter two 8-oz ramekins or custard cups. (If presentation is less important, you may use a one 1.5-liter Pyrex circular casserole dish with lid.) Divide the bread between the two ramekins. (Or put it all into the casserole dish). Reduce the oven to 325 degrees.

2) Whisk together the egg yolks, maple syrup, and bourbon. in a small saucepan, warm the cream until just hot to touch. (You may microwave the whipped cream on medium heat, in 1-minute intervals until it looks like it’s getting hot.) Whisk the cream into the egg mixture and strain over the bread cubes. Press plastic wrap directly onto the bread so that all of it is completely submerged in the custard. (Or just use a spoon and press down on the bread until it is thoroughly coated, avoiding use of the plastic wrap.) Let stand at room temperature until the bread is completely soaked, about 10 minutes.

3) Remove the plastic wrap; cover the ramekins with aluminum foil. (If using a casserole dish, just cover it with its lid.) Set the ramekins in a larger baking dish and pour water into the dish to reach halfway up the side of the ramekins. (I have set the casserole dish into a square 8×8-inch, 1.5-liter brownie dish.) Bake for about 30 minutes or until the custard is just set. Let cool briefly, drizzle with maple syrup and serve.

* I have made this using bread-machine baked bread, cinnamon raisin bread, and cinnamon raisin challah bread.
* To make the pudding more moist & spongy, add more cream. But in doing so, you’ll have to also add a little more bourbon, syrup, and egg yolk to bind the little bread cubes together.