Bacon Bread Pudding Recipes

SAVORY LEEK AND BACON BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place baguette cubes onto a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until dry, about 15 minutes. Remove bread and set aside. Keep oven on.
• Meanwhile, warm oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and cook until softened but not brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Whisk milk and eggs together in a bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Grease a casserole dish with cooking spray; sprinkle a thin layer of Gruyere cheese on the bottom.
• Top Gruyere with 1/2 of the toasted bread cubes. Spread leeks over bread cubes and sprinkle diced bacon on top. Top with more cheese, reserving about half. Ladle 1/2 of the milk mixture over bread, leeks, bacon, and cheese. Slightly press bread cubes down into the milk. Layer remaining bread across the top, and continue layering leeks and bacon. Ladle remaining milk on top. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the casserole. Slightly press bread cubes down into the milk.
• Let casserole sit for 15 minutes.
• Cover casserole very loosely with aluminum foil so cheese does not melt against it. Place casserole dish on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and bake until cheese and bread cubes are well browned on top, 10 to 15 minutes more.

BACON BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange the bacon, closely spaced, on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, flipping halfway through, until the fat is rendered and the bacon is lightly browned but not at all crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
• Meanwhile, add the sausage to a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Drain alongside the bacon.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Beat the eggs and half-and-half in a large bowl. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a generous grinding of black pepper. Fold in the bread cubes and the cooked sausage and let soak for 5 minutes.
• In a 12-cup muffin tin, line each cup with a slice of the bacon, making a ring so the ends overlap. Divide the bread mixture among the cups, using a tablespoon to keep it neat. Sprinkle the tops with half of the Cheddar, followed by the red pepper and scallion and then the rest of the Cheddar.
• Bake until puffed and golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out mostly clean, about 20 minutes. Remove the bread puddings from the muffin tin with a fork. Serve hot or warm.

APPLE, CHEDDAR & BACON BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Add apples; cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Reduce heat to medium-low; stir in brown sugar. Cook, uncovered, 8-10 minutes or until apples are tender, stirring occasionally. Cool completely., In a greased 8-in. square baking dish, layer half of each of the following: bread, bacon, apples and cheese. Repeat layers. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, cinnamon and salt; pour over top. Refrigerate, covered, several hours or overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. Remove bread pudding from refrigerator; uncover and let stand while oven heats. Bake until puffed and golden, and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 45-55 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving., In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave syrup and walnuts until warmed, stirring once. Serve with bread pudding. Freeze option: After assembling, cover and freeze bread pudding. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake and serve bread pudding with syrup as directed.