Pear Bread Pudding
not keto. not gf. not dairy free. not sugar free.
guest: lindsay leli
Full Recipe Video:
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
1 loaf semolina bread or French baguette
6 pears; peeled, cored, and halved
6 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tbsp. vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
Unsalted butter
Finishing baker’s sugar (see notes)
Vanilla ice cream (optional)
Caramel sauce (optional)
Powdered sugar (optional)
Preheat oven to 350.
Cut loaf into 1/2” thick round slices and set aside.
Slice your halved pears from the bottom of the pear to the top, without slicing all the way through. Make thin slices through your halves so the piece remains whole, but you can fan it. Set aside.
To make your custard: The key to this custard is to constantly whisk in your ingredients. In a large mixing bowl (or KitchenAid Stand Mixer), crack your eggs and whisk. Whisk in sugar. Add cinnamon, vanilla, heavy cream, and milk - whisk in. Continue to whisk until everything is combined.
Grease a 9x13 deep hotel pan or baking dish with unsalted butter. Place a layer of bread slices flat on the bottom of your dish. Make sure the bottom of the dish is covered but the bread is not overlapping.
For the next layer, place your pear halves on top of your bread slices and press and fan them into the bread. Cover bread layer completely.
Place your remaining bread slices on top of your pear layer, this time slightly stacking each bread slice on the next (you want to create a scalloped effect). This will be your top layer.
Pour custard mixture over your dish evenly, making sure to coat your top layer of bread. Once you have poured your custard, take a flat wooden spoon and press down on each piece of bread so it absorbs the custard.
Sprinkle generous amount of finishing sugar over the top of your bread layer.
Bake for 40-45 mins. Bread peaks should be golden brown and custard should not be runny.
Remove from oven and set for 15 mins. before serving. Cut into squares and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, drizzle of caramel sauce, and a dusting over powdered sugar.
Notes:
Some say bread pudding is better with stale bread. But we think that came from people not knowing what to do with their stale bread, so they made bread pudding. Either way, stale or fresh, bread pudding is the best.
Speaking of bread, we prefer this recipe with semolina bread (Italian sesame loaf) but depending on where you are the world that might be hard to find, so a regular baguette will do just fine.
Finishing sugar is the large crystally sugar they use on top of blueberry muffins. If you don’t have that, granulated sugar or raw sugar will work!
GoodCooking’s Picks:
Tools:
KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer
Baking Dish: Sur La Table Baker, 4 Qt.
