slow-cooker pumpkin & caramel bread pudding

This is my all-time favorite Fall recipe!

It's not new to our family, but it's the first time that I'm sharing it on the blog.

I've made this amazing slow-cook pumpkin bread pudding for several years. It's a Sunday staple in our home every Fall. I love traditions like this one!

Bread pudding might not be the prettiest dessert, but there's something incredibly comforting (and delicious) about it.  Wouldn't you agree?

Perhaps it's the humble ingredients . . . cream, eggs, bread, and spices?  Or its simplicity? Or that a good bread pudding is just delicious, in every sense of the word. Whatever it is, it's a classic dessert that our little family loves and always looks forward to, especially in the Fall and Winter months when it's cold outside.

So here's what I LOVE about this recipe . . . 
Besides that it's flavored with pumpkin, brown sugar, and loads of warm spices . . . it's baked low and slow in a crock pot! It's the perfect lazy Sunday dessert! I assemble it and then slow cook it while we're at church. There's nothing like the warm, aromatic welcome of slow-cook pumpkin & caramel bread pudding when you arrive home!

I discovered these Caramel Bits several weeks ago. They're amazing! I add them to this recipe because we love the sweet, creamy caramel ribbons that form throughout the bread pudding. It's so delicious!

Another great addition are Cinnamon Chips! Oh my goodness, I love the creamy spiciness of the extra cinnamon.

Whichever you choose to add, they're a great compliment to this moist, tender, and flavorful bread pudding!

This is one of those classic recipes that our family will treasure, always.

It reminds me of a simpler time, cozy evenings with my family, and all the warm flavors of Fall.

I hope you make it a part of your Fall and Winter Sundays, too. Happy baking!

slow cooker pumpkin bread pudding

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8 cups day old bread cubes

4 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin 

1 1/2 cups half n half

½ cup brown sugar plus 1 Tablespoon, packed

½ cup butter, melted

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups Caramel Bits or Cinnamon Chips
½ cup toasted pecans, chopped *optional

Vanilla ice cream, optional

Caramel ice cream topping, optional

Preparation

Cut slices of day old bread into cubes. Cut enough bread for 8 cups.

Put the cubed bread into a buttered Crock Pot (3.5 - 4 quart size) along with caramel bits, or cinnamon chips, and /or chopped pecans.

Whisk together eggs, pumpkin, half-n-half, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Pour over the cubed bread and gently fold bread cubes to coat. Evenly distribute Caramel Bits or Cinnamon Chips.

Cook on low for 3-4 hours or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve warm topped it with vanilla ice cream and caramel ice cream topping.

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lemon blueberry bread pudding . . . a Spring-inspired 'comfort' dessert

Bread pudding is an incredibly easy dessert to make . . . and it is soooooo delicious!

I love how versatile it is. With the perfect creamy, custard base . . . you can add just about anything to it . . . fruit & berries, toasted coconut, chocolate, nuts . . . whatever your heart desires.

My favorite (so far) is just plain ol' bread pudding, made with a vanilla bean custard base and brioche bread.

I had a leftover baguette and heavy cream that I didn't want to waste or throw out, so I thought I would make a Spring-inspired bread pudding using lemons and blueberries (both of which I always have on hand).

The combination of the vanilla and warm brown sugar base, brightened with the zest of a lemon and slightly sweet berries, is so good.  So good.

Instead of making a sauce to drizzle over the top, I sprinkled raw sugar over them about 10 minutes before taking them out of the oven.

The raw sugar gives this bread pudding an extra hint of sweetness and a delightful crust on top. Yum!

I thought it would be fun to make individual servings, so I prepared them in these small ruffled ramekins.

I sliced the bread into 1/4-inch pieces so that more would fit in the ramekins, and it worked great. If you don't have ramekins, then you can use a large muffin tin. You'll have to wait for them to cool slightly so that you can remove them from the tin.

You can serve it with a scoop of soft vanilla ice cream, or enjoy all by its lonesome.

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the baking dish

4 large eggs

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups whole milk

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

10 ounces stale/dry bakery white bread or brioche, cut into 1/4-inch cubes for individual ramekins or 1/2-inch cubes for a large baking dish (about 6 cups)

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries 
raw sugar (to sprinkle on top)

Preparation

Generously butter a 10-by-14-inch baking dish. 
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the cream, milk, brown sugar, vanilla and lemon zest. Add the bread cubes and stir well, then mix in the melted butter. Let the bread soak for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325°. 

Layer the bread pudding mixture and blueberries in your prepared dish.
Pour half of the bread pudding mixture into the prepared dish, then evenly sprinkle 1 1/2 cups of blueberries over the mixture. Pour the second half of the bread pudding mixture on top. Sprinkle remaining blueberries on top. 

Bake on the upper rack of the oven for about 1 hour. 
Sprinkle raw sugar over the top 10-15 minutes before you take it out of the oven. 
Return it to the oven and continue baking, until firm when pressed in the center.
Let cool on a rack for about 20 minutes. Serve warm.
Enjoy!

 

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