Duo Bread Pudding…for Breakfast

Guest post, by the daughter.


Bread pudding has been a bit of a fad in our combined households. As you may remember, it began in June, when my two Canadian friends were visiting. Since then, we have made approximately 5 batches of various styles of bread pudding. Mainly it has been myself, experimenting with berry, chocolate, and plain versions. Upon making the plain bread pudding (no spices, just milk, eggs, sugar, butter, and vanilla), it occurred to me that it tasted a lot like a baked French toast. Interesting… Talking it over with my mother, Mrs. B, we decided to try a duo of breakfast bread puddings, inspired by the marriage of bread pudding and French toast. So, for the first time since I moved out in May, I stayed the night in order to wake up to make our new creations. Here they are, and by all means we are not wedded to these names, so if you have a better suggestion, please let us know!

Maple-Pecan Breakfast Bread Pudding

6 cups bread cubes*
1 cup milk
1 cup half-and-half (can use milk or cream instead, if needed)
1 cup sugar
4 Tbsp butter, melted
2 eggs
¼ cup pure maple syrup
½ cup pecan, roughly chopped (optional)

Whisk milk, half-and-half, and sugar together. Slowly add melted butter (stirring as you add), then the eggs and syrup. Grease 1 ½ qt baking dish and add bread cubes. Sprinkle pecans throughout dry bread. Pour wet mixture over bread, and push the bread to moisten. Make sure all the bread has been coated. Bake at 350°F for 60 minutes, or until custard is set.


Orange Breakfast Bread Pudding

6 cups bread cubes*
1 cup milk
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup sugar
4 Tbsp butter, melted
2 eggs
Zest and juice from one orange
½ cup almond slices (optional)

Wisk milk, half-and-half, and sugar together. Slowly add melted butter (stirring as you add), then the eggs, zest, and juice. Grease 1 ½ qt baking dish and add bread cubes. Pour wet mixture over bread, and push the bread to moisten. Make sure all the bread has been coated. Bake at 350°F for 60 minutes, or until custard is set.

*Challah works great for breakfast, ½ loaf of Challah = about 6 cups cubed


We tried the maple version alone and with a drizzle of maple syrup. You could also add a dollop of whipped cream, if you so choose. Both versions were good, and the addition of syrup or cream just adds to the sweetness and intensity of the maple flavor.

The orange one had a nice subtle flavor, which could be intensified by substituting or adding a few tablespoons of frozen concentrated orange juice. We chose not to make a glaze, but a simple powdered sugar/orange juice glaze would be a nice addition and would make it a significantly sweeter breakfast dish.