I had so much trouble trying to pick out a recipe this week for Blogger’s Choice. I went through many different choices. I just kept changing my mind! Extra Crumb Coffee Cake, Toasted Oat Smoothie, Coffee Bacon, Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies, Cinnamon Sugar Rice Pudding, Kettle Corn, Strawberry Cookie Dough Ice Cream, Chocolate Covered Coconut Macaroon Ice Cream. Okay. I don’t need to go on, you get the point.
It was a tough decision and needless to say, there are a lot of creased pages in this book and it will be a while before it goes back on the shelf. I finally realized I had to pick something, and I went with this Banana Bourbon Bread Pudding. Sit back and listen.
Mis en Place:
That’s right. I called it heaven sent. Like so many things I have already tried from Joy, this is wonderful. The smell alone is intoxicating (no pun intended) and it pulls you in before you even take the first bite. Moist, but not runny with a nice crisp and crunchy sugary topping. Fresh bananas round out the flavors. The great thing about banana pudding is that you probably have these ingredients in your house right now. You might have to go buy a baguette or maybe even bananas, but that should be it. Whatever you need, go get it. Trust me, it’s worth it. You’ll love it.
Kitchen Notes:
- To make this kid friendly, just leave out the bourbon (probably not needed to be said, just have to make sure).
- If you don’t have cinnamon sugar available, you can easily make it by combining 1/2 cup sugar with 1 tablespoon cinnamon – or simply use granulated sugar.
- I only had one large banana left, so I halved the recipe (regretfully!), used a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish and baked for only 15 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 stale baguette (about 10 ounces)
- 2 mashed bananas (about 2/3 cup)
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 5 large eggs
- 3 Tablespoons bourbon
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- cinnamon sugar
- 2 sliced bananas for topping
Directions
- Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish and set aside.
- Tear stale baguette into small and large chunks. Place in the prepared baking dish. Add mashed bananas. With your hands, incorporate the mashed bananas among the torn bread. Mash together until bananas are evenly distributed among the bread chunks.
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine milk, sugar and salt. Stir until sugar is dissolved and milk is warm. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, whisk eggs. While whisking, drizzle in the warm milk mixture. Whisk until all the milk is added and milk is well incorporated. Stir in bourbon and vanilla.
- Pour the milk into the torn bread. Press the bread into the liquid so that all of the bread is at least moistened. Allow the mixture to rest for 10 minutes before baking.
- Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until bread is browned and liquid is no longer jiggly, but still appears somewhat moist. Remove from oven and allow to cool 20 minutes before serving. Top with cinnamon sugar and fresh sliced bananas.
- Best warm, the day it is baked. Bread pudding will last, well wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Also from Joy the Baker:
- Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Flaxseed and Cracked Pepper Crackers
- Mini Chamomile Cakes with Honey Frosting
- Whole Wheat Honey and Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits
*This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef*
