Pumpkin Spice Brioche Bread Pudding
Fluffy, moist, and full of warm spices, our Pumpkin Spice Brioche Bread Pudding is everything a bread pudding should be. Drizzled with our Bourbon Caramel Sauce, and topped with our homemade Candied Cinnamon Pecans, these extras bring this dessert to a whole new level! Served warm from the oven this dessert pairs really well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, which melts alongside the pudding to create an instant, créme anglaise sauce. This is the perfect dessert to welcome the Fall season.
For an extra silky bite, make this recipe ahead of time to allow the brioche to soak up all that wonderful pumpkin custard. Then simply refrigerate until ready to bake. The sauce and pralines can also be made ahead of time, which makes this a great dessert when you are entertaining. Want to learn more about how you can serve and Pimp our recipe? Read more about this in our Blog Comments & Tips.
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RECIPE
(Check out our Step by Step Instructions below the recipe card.)
Recipe updated as of 3/29/22
PUMPKIN SPICE BRIOCHE BREAD PUDDING
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom and sides of a deep 9 x 12 inch baking dish (or 9 x 13) with unsalted butter. With a serrated bread knife, cut brioche bread into 1 inch slices (see Note #1). Then cut each slice into 1 inch cubes, and place in a large mixing bowl, and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together granulated sugar, light brown sugar, pumpkin spice, and fine salt, and set aside.
- To a large mixing bowl, add eggs and egg yolks, and whisk to combine. Add milk, half & half, a can of pure pumpkin, and vanilla, and whisk to combine. Whisk in sugar/spice mixture until well combined.
- Pour custard mixture over bread cubes, and gently toss with a large silicone spatula to completely coat all bread cubes. If making ahead, see Note #2 for instructions. Bake for about 50 to 55 minutes (see Note #3), or until puffed up and set. NOTE: Make the Bourbon Caramel Sauce (or use store bought), Candied Cinnamon Pecans (or use store bought) while the bread pudding is baking. Remove the pudding from the oven, and let rest for no more than 5 to 10 minutes. Then cut into 12 squares, and serve immediately with the sauce, pecans, and vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- Brioche is a very delicate bread. When cutting each slice, be gentle and use a sawing motion without any pressure. Do not push down when cutting, or it will squash the bread. This will make your pudding dense.
- Make Ahead Instructions: Complete Steps 1 through 4, but do not bake. Just pour the coated bread into your 9 x 13 inch baking dish, and cover with plastic wrap or a baking lid, and refrigerate until ready to bake (can be refrigerated up to 8 hours). When ready to bake, remove the baking dish from the fridge, and let it rest on the counter covered for about 30 minutes to take off the chill. Then remove the plastic wrap, and bake until set according to instructions. If the custard is still really cold when placed in the oven, it may take a little longer to bake. Do not overbake, as it will become dry.
- Cooking times may vary depending on your oven and the heaviness of your baking pan. To make this recipe, we used a heavy 9 x 12 inch Le Creuset Stoneware Baking Dish that was about 3 inches deep.
- Leftovers? Although this recipe is best enjoyed fresh from the oven, you can always refrigerate covered for up to 2 days.
- To reheat, pour some Bourbon Caramel Sauce onto each slice. Then microwave individual slices straight from the fridge for 30 to 45 seconds (depending on your microwave), or until very warm to the touch. It should be very soft to the touch. Then top with our Candied Cinnamon Pecans (or store bought), and serve!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
258.09Fat (grams)
11.09Sat. Fat (grams)
6.09Carbs (grams)
33.15Fiber (grams)
1.38Net carbs
31.77Sugar (grams)
21.60Protein (grams)
6.83Sodium (milligrams)
207.44Cholesterol (grams)
142.02Nutritional information provided is strictly an estimate and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods. Toppings are not included in the nutritional calculations. For nutritional information on toppings, see individual recipes or labels on store bought items for details.
Step by Step Instructions
Bread Pudding
PREPARATION - BREAD PUDDING
Organize all your tools and ingredients before you begin. Getting all your ingredients in one place at the beginning will shorten your prep time.
STEP 1
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom and sides of a deep 9 x 12 inch baking dish (or 9 x 13) with 1 teaspoon unsalted butter. With a serrated bread knife, cut one (day old) 14.11 ounce loaf of brioche bread (14.11 ounces) into 1 inch slices (see Note below). Then cut each slice into 1 inch cubes, and place in a large mixing bowl, and set aside.
Note: Brioche is a very delicate bread. When cutting each slice, be gentle and use a sawing motion without any pressure. Do not push down when cutting ,or it will squash the bread. This will make your pudding dense.
STEP 2
In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice, and ¼ teaspoon fine salt, and set aside.
STEP 3
To a large mixing bowl, add 4 eggs and 2 egg yolks, and whisk to combine. Add 1 cup reduced fat (2%) milk, 1 ½ cups half & half, one 15 ounce can of pure pumpkin, and 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, and whisk to combine. Whisk in sugar/spice mixture until well combined.
STEP 4a
Pour custard mixture over bread cubes, and gently toss with a large silicone spatula to completely coat all bread cubes. For make ahead instructions, see below.
MAKE AHEAD INSTRUCTIONS: If you are making this ahead of time, complete Steps 1 through 4a, but do not bake. Just pour the coated bread into your 9 x 13 inch baking dish, and cover with plastic wrap or a baking lid, and refrigerate until ready to bake (can be refrigerated up to 8 hours). When ready to bake, remove the baking dish from the fridge, and let it rest on the counter covered for about 30 minutes to take off the chill. Then remove the plastic wrap, and bake until set according to instructions 4b. If the custard is still really cold when placed in the oven, it may take a little longer to bake. Do not overbake, as it will become dry.
STEP 4b
Bake in the middle of your oven for about 50 to 55 minutes (see Note below), or until puffed up and set.
While the bread pudding is baking, make the Candied Cinnamon Pecans (or use store bought), and the Bourbon Caramel Sauce (or use store bought). These are two quick and easy recipes that will be done before your pudding is out of the oven.
Remove from the oven and let rest for no more than 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Note: Cooking times may vary depending on your oven and the heaviness of your baking pan. To make this recipe, we used a heavy 9 x 12 inch Le Creuset Stoneware Baking Dish that was about 3 inches deep.
Serving & Toppings
SERVING SUGGESTION
Cut warm bread pudding into 12 squares, and serve immediately with our Bourbon Caramel Sauce (or use store bought), our Candied Cinnamon Pecans (or use store bought), and some rich vanilla ice cream.
Note: Häagen-Dazs® vanilla bean ice cream is a great choice to serve with this dessert. When served next to the warm bread pudding, the ice cream will melt and become an instant créme anglaise sauce, which blends beautifully with our Bourbon Caramel Sauce.
TOPPINGS
BOURBON CARAMEL SAUCE: The sauce thickens as it cools, so it will need to cool completely before serving. If needed, refrigerate for a few minutes to thicken the sauce. This sauce can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container. If the sauce is too thick, reheat in the microwave for a few seconds.
Pour cool sauce onto the warm bread pudding.
CANDIED CINNAMON PECANS: These pecans are delicious on their own, but add a wonderful crunchy texture and flavor to this bread pudding. These candied pecans can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. If you are making the same day, just cool completely before serving.
Sprinkle roughly chopped candied pecans (or break apart with your hands) over the caramel sauce that has been poured onto the bread pudding.
Notes:
Leftovers? Although this recipe is best enjoyed fresh from the oven on the same day as it is baked, you can always refrigerate covered for up to 2 days.
To reheat, pour some Bourbon Caramel Sauce (or use store bought) onto each slice. Then microwave individual slices straight from the fridge for 30 to 45 seconds (depending on your microwave), or until very warm to the touch. It should be very soft to the touch. Then top with our Candied Cinnamon Pecans (or use store bought), and serve!
VIDEO
How to Make this Fluffy & Delectable Pumpkin Spice Brioche Bread Pudding
Blog Comments & Tips
The perfect dessert for the fall season!
The weather is starting to cool down in California, which means it’s fall! To me, the change in season is all about comfort food, cozy drinks, and baked goods filled with warm spices. Our Pumpkin Spice Brioche Bread Pudding is perfect for the fall season. Then again, if you love bread pudding, this recipe is great any time of year.
My godfather’s favorite dessert is bread pudding. So when fall was approaching, I saw it as an opportunity to try out a new dessert recipe. I love bread pudding, but I’m a bit particular about the texture. My issue with bread pudding is that it’s often stodgy or dry. No one wants that, least of all me. If I wanted to eat a dry bread pudding, I’d just skip the calories and bite into a good piece of French bread instead!
Pumpkin spice is synonymous with fall desserts and cozy drinks. So Leigh and I put our heads together and decided that the combination of pumpkin spice would pair well with this dessert. After researching tons of recipes, we finally settled on using a base recipe from Cooking Classy. In true PMR style, we restructured the recipe to develop a moist, soufflé-like texture by using brioche bread and adding pure pumpkin purée. To lighten it up a bit, we used 2% milk instead of whole milk or heavy cream. The addition of pumpkin reduced the calories and gave it a great texture and flavor. To take it to the next level, we added our Bourbon Caramel Sauce (or use store bought) and topped it with our homemade Candied Cinnamon Pecans (or use store bought).
The feedback from our taste testers was great! This recipe earned high marks from my godfather. And I quote,
“I have eaten bread pudding all over the world, and this is one of the very best I’ve ever had!”
Another one of our taste testers (our lovely neighbor) described it as, “tender and delicious...a princess of pudding!”
This is a great make ahead recipe. Just make it in the morning, and stick it in the fridge. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before you are ready to bake to take off some of the chill. Then bake, and serve right out the oven with our Bourbon Caramel Sauce (or use store bought) and Candied Cinnamon Pecans (or use store bought). They can also be made ahead of time, to make it easy for entertaining. Trust me, your guests will be amazed!
How do you ensure the best results from our recipe?
Our 5 tips to making a great bread pudding:
High quality ingredients - brioche bread, organic pumpkin (canned works fine, as long as it’s pure pumpkin).
Use day old brioche bread. Use a serrated knife to slice the bread. Don’t push down on the bread when slicing or it will make your pudding dense and stodgy.
We used the Sprouts’ brand of pumpkin spice.
Prepare the bread pudding in the morning and refrigerate until ready to bake. This will help it soak up all the custard to make it extra fluffy and moist. Once you tossed the bread in the custard, don’t press down on the bread as brioche is very delicate.
Do NOT overbake. You want to retain a moist and fluffy texture, so bake just until the top is puffy and set. Then serve within 5 to 10 minutes after removing from the oven. This dessert is best served the same day and right out of the oven. It needs to be served very warm, or the texture will be too dense and unappetizing.
Have any dietary preferences that won’t quite work with our recipe? It’s time to customize and Pimp Our Recipe.
Pimp Our Recipe:
Make it Less Spiced: Instead of using 1 tablespoon of pumpkin spice, replace with 2 teaspoons of pumpkin spice. This will make the flavor more subtle.
Make it Richer: Replace 2% milk with whole milk.
Enjoy and let us know what you think by commenting below, rating our recipes, subscribing, following, and liking us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube! Don’t forget to subscribe to get updates on new recipes and tips & tricks.
Happy Cooking!
Mich
Footnote: Remember to not overbake your pudding. Be sure to serve it right out of the oven. It’s best served the same day it is baked.
Adapted from the Pumpkin Bread Pudding recipe by Cooking Classy, we’ve used the base recipe and pimped it up by switching out a few ingredients to make it moist and fluffy, then adding our own Bourbon Caramel Sauce and homemade Candied Cinnamon Pecans (praline pecans).
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