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Morning Bread Pudding

This is the perfect recipe for any brunch. All the work for this dish (what little there is) is done the night before, and then you simply pop the dish in the oven the next morning. The bread pudding consistently cooks perfectly and is always a crowd-pleaser. Perfectly moist, and wonderful flavor that pairs well with assorted fruits or with a strong cup of coffee.

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 3 pinches of kosher salt
  • 1 12 oz. loaf brioche or challa bread
  • 8 eggs
  • 1 cup mascarpone cheese (divided... 1/4 cup for custard; 3/4 cup for serving)
  • 1 cup milk
  • ¼ tsp almond extract

Instructions

  1. First, choose your baking vessel. (We used a 2.5-quart oval CorningWare dish.)
  2. We cooked the caramel in a heavy cast-iron (non-stick) pan.
  3. Place 3/4 cup sugar, butter, and sea salt in a pan and heat over medium heat. The butter will melt and, after 7 to 10 minutes, the sugar will dissolve and begin to brown. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir with a spatula so that it browns evenly. You will find that the butter separates from the melting sugar, and this is just fine. Do your best to keep them stirred together, but know that it will all work out in the end, even if it’s split.
  4. Your caramel is done when it reaches a copper color. Pour it over the base of your baking vessel and try to tip it 1 inch up the sides of the dish.
  5. Place the dish in the refrigerator and chill until the caramel is cold and solid, about 30 minutes. Once chilled, arrange the bread slices. Place the heel of the bread in the center and do what you can to fan the slices around it, overlapping each slightly and knowing with complete confidence that even if your dish doesn’t resemble a blooming rose, nobody will care at all.
  6. In a large bowl whisk together eggs, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/4 mascarpone cheese (save rest for serving), until very smooth. Add milk and almond extract. Pour this over the bread, making sure to saturate all of it. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill overnight. If your bread seems too high in the vessel to get a good soak, you can weigh it with a plate in the fridge.
  7. In the morning, heat the oven to 375°F. Take the dish from the fridge, remove the plastic, and bake 30 to 35 minutes, until moist but not wet in the center. Remove from oven and run a knife around the edge of the dish, loosening bread from the sides. Place a serving plate over the top of the dish (bottom side up), and, using potholders, hold the pudding over the sink and flip the pudding onto it. Lift the baking dish off the plate; scrape any extra caramel from the pie dish over the pudding. Serve, cutting it into wedges at the table and spooning a healthy dollop of mascarpone onto each plate.

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