½cupBourbon(substitute water for non alcoholic version}
½cupCoarsely Chopped Pecans
6cupsBread - Challah(day old) stale bread
Butter
Topping
½cupLight Brown Sugar
¾cupSoftened butter
1cupCoarsely Chopped Pecans
Bourbon Glaze
1cupButter
½cupBourbon
1cupSugar
Instructions
Make the Pudding
In a large mixing bowl combine: sugar, vanilla, eggs, 1½ cups heavy cream, ½ cup chopped pecans.
Cut or tear day old bread into ½ inch bread cubes.
Toss bread into mixture. Careful to coat but not break bread.
In a small sauce pan, melt ½ cup of heavy cream with the white chocolate. Stir
Fold carefully the chocolate mixture in with the bread.
Cover and place bread mixture in the refrigerator for 30 minutes
Transfer bread mixture to a buttered Dutch Oven
Combine ingredients for the topping.
Layer the mixture on top of the bread
Baking Method - Oven
Pre-heat oven to 325° oven
Bake Pudding for 55 minutes to 1 hour
Baking Method - Big Green Egg or Smoker
Setup your smoker up for indirect heat
Choose smoking chips of Pecan and Apple
Bring smoker up to 325°
Bake pudding for 1.5 - 2hrs. until bubbling and cooked through.
Buttery Bourbon Glaze
In small sauce pan combine butter, brown sugar, bourbon and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 2 mins
Remove from heat, season with a pinch of salt.
Drizzle each serving of bread pudding with glaze minutes before serving.
Bread Pudding with Bourbon sauce is always delicious- but bread pudding is best served warm
Notes
If you are running out of time and aren't able to get day old bread, just pop the pieces into a 350 degree oven for 6 minutes or so to dry out the bread (not toasted). The day old bread or dried out bread will soak up more of the chocolate cream deliciousness.
If you are baking your bread pudding on the Big Green Egg (or other smoker), use a cast-iron dutch oven to reduce the soot buildup on your pretty ceramic coated dutch oven.
For the glaze you can add more bourbon and butter as needed. Decadent Dessert