The perfect combination of homey and luxurious, this bread pudding uses a silky cream (or milk) and egg mixture to transform day-old or stale bread into a decadent treat. If you’ve got an excess of bread, or a loaf you know you won’t be able to finish, cube it up and freeze it so you’re ready to make bread pudding anytime.
Bread pudding can be dressed up in all sorts of ways, like this convenient overnight version, which uses dried figs for natural sweetness and walnuts for a nutty crunch. It’s lovely on its own, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
How to Freeze Bread:
When freezing bread, cut into desired shapes; slices, cubes, etc. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap or place in an airtight container before freezing. Frozen bread will last 4 to 6 months.
When using frozen bread, place slices directly into toaster oven or toaster for toasted bread. Alternatively, allow bread to thaw on counter before using.
Overnight Fig and Walnut Bread Pudding
| Yield |
|---|
| Serves 12 |
| Prep Time | Cook Time | Total Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10 min | 50 min | 60 min |
Ingredients
- 12 dried figs
- 3 cups milk, heavy cream or half & half
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, or allspice
- 7 cups 1-inch whole wheat bread cubes, toasted
- 1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted, divided
Method
- Grease large baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place figs in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water for 10 minutes until softened. Drain, roughly chop and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla and cinnamon until combined.
- Add bread, 3/4 cup of walnuts and figs and toss to coat. Pour bread mixture into prepared baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove plastic wrap and top with walnuts. Cover with foil and bake until set, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake until golden-brown, about 10 minutes.
- Recipe and photo: Dish Works
