Bread pudding is a classic dessert. What was once a way to re-use stale bread by people who could not afford to waste bread (bread pudding has been traced to the lower classes of 11th-century England) has risen in popularity to grace menus across the world from the humblest mom and pop diners to Michelin-star restaurants. One of the reasons for that is the mutability of the dish. You start with bread (and the ingredients that keep the pudding together), but from there, the world is your bread pudding.
With the recipe we just received, though, we think we’ve found the pinnacle of bread pudding recipes. Why? One word.
Bourbon.
If you know anything about us here at The Manual, it’s that we love our bourbon. We also love when we have an excuse to put bourbon in things (other than a glass, of course).
This bread pudding recipe — rounded out with cinnamon, pecans, bourbon-soaked raisins, and bourbon-spiked caramel sauce — comes to us from Garrison Brothers Distillery, the first legal distillery in Texas, and utilizes its small-batch bourbon. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Garrison Brothers’ Cowboy Bourbon made our list of the best drinks to consume while playing Red Dead Redemption 2. (Check out the entire list here.)
Cinnamon Hot Toddy Bread Pudding
Ingredients for the Bourbon Raisins:
- 1/3 cup Garrison Brothers Bourbon
- 1 cup raisins
Ingredients for the Bread Pudding:
- .25 cup Garrison Brothers Bourbon
- 10 cups brioche bread, cubed
- 5 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon, ground
- .5 tsp salt
- .25 tsp nutmeg, grated
- 5 eggs, beaten
Ingredients for the Caramel Glaze:
- .25 cup Garrison Brothers Bourbon
- 1 cup caramel sauce
- 1 tbsp salt
Method:
- Preheat an oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Soak the raisins in Garrison Brothers Bourbon for half an hour to an hour.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together Garrison Brothers Bourbon, heavy cream, eggs, dark brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.
- Toss the brioche and pecans in the custard glaze.
- Let the mixture soak for an hour.
- Place the mixture in a 9-inch-by-13-inch greased baking dish and bake for 50 minutes or until puffy and set.
- Whisk together the Garrison Brothers Bourbon with the caramel sauce and salt, reserve to drizzle when serving.
Need a hot toddy to go with that? Check out this recipe and prepare a batch to serve with the bread pudding.
