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Maple-Pumpkin

Bread
Pudding
serves: 10 to 12 time: about 3 hours

This is my idea of fall and winter all wrapped up in a pudding dish! I take basic custard and
ratchet it up by adding pumpkin and maple syrup. Then to keep it super-sexy, I use challah,
which is a rich, buttery, and slightly sweet bread. This isnt your ordinary, everyday, bread
pudding; this bread pudding is more like cakeand I like cake!

M i s e e n P l ac e
1 4-pound pumpkin, preferably a
sugar pumpkin, or 3 cups canned
pumpkin pure
2 cups heavy cream
Be cup packed light or dark brown
sugar

4 large eggs
1 cup REAL maple syrup
1Bc teaspoons cinnamon
Be teaspoon nutmeg
Be teaspoon allspice
1Bc teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Cut the pumpkin into quarters, place it on a

baking sheet, and roast for about 1 hour or until
the pumpkin is fork-tender. Remove the pumpkin
from the oven and let cool (this can be done a
day or two ahead). When the pumpkin is cool
enough to handle, peel off the skin, remove the
seeds and guts, and pure the flesh in a food
processor. If youre using canned pumpkin, skip
this step.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter for

greasing dish
1 loaf of challah, cut into 1-inch
chunks (about 8 cups)
Bc cup walnuts, toasted (see page 17)
and coarsely chopped
Bc cup dried cranberries or golden
raisins

In a large bowl, combine the pured pumpkin,

heavy cream, brown sugar, eggs, maple syrup,
cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and vanilla, and mix
well to combine.

Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish well. Toss the

bread, walnuts, and cranberries together in the
baking dish. Pour the pumpkin mixture over the
bread and let sit for 30 minutes.

6 Put the dish in the oven and bake for 50 to

55 minutes or until the custard is set.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325F.

Hey, punkin puddin!

A N N E A LT E R N AT E

If you want to get really fancy, use cinnamon brioche or pound

cake in place of the challah. Mmmmm . . .
249

desserts