Salted Caramel Bread Pudding Recipes

SALTED CARAMEL-BANANA BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Make the caramel: Combine the sugar and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring just until the sugar dissolves. Cook, gently swirling the pan but not stirring, until amber, about 10 minutes. Brush any sugar crystals off the side of the pan with a wet pastry brush. Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the butter, heavy cream, bourbon, lemon juice and kosher salt (the mixture will bubble). Pour into a bowl and set aside.
• Make the bread pudding: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Spread the bread cubes on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until dry and golden, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Whisk the eggs, sugar and kosher salt in a large bowl, then whisk in the milk, heavy cream and vanilla until smooth. Fold in the toasted bread and the banana slices. Transfer half of the mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread in an even layer. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of the caramel, then top with the remaining bread mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. Cover and refrigerate the remaining caramel until ready to serve.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sprinkle the bread pudding with sea salt and bake until golden brown and set, about 1 hour, 15 minutes. Warm the remaining caramel and drizzle on top.

SALTED CARAMEL PRETZEL BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• For the bread pudding: Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish.
• Scatter the bread cubes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the melted butter and toss to coat. Bake, stirring halfway through, until the bread is golden brown and crunchy, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, follow the package directions for microwaving and salting the pretzels (don't use all the salt). Quarter each pretzel.
• Whisk together the milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, whole eggs and yolks in a medium bowl.
• Scatter the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish. Top with the pretzel pieces (turning some over to show off the nicely browned bottoms) and then nestle in the caramel candy halves. Pour the custard over the mixture. Cover with foil and set aside at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• Bake until the bread pudding is set with a slight jiggle in the center, 45 to 55 minutes. Let rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.
• For the caramel sauce: Meanwhile, combine the caramels, butter and cream in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, stirring halfway through, until the caramels and butter melt together, about 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth and thick. (The caramel sauce can be made ahead of time and then reheated to loosen up for serving.)
• Drizzle the bread pudding with the caramel sauce and sprinkle with some pretzel salt before serving.

SALTED CARAMEL BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Combine the cream, butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Let the butter melt, then slowly simmer the cream until it reduces slightly, about 10 minutes. Be careful that the mixture doesn¿t boil over; if it does, reduce or remove from the heat.
• Break the bread up into 1-inch pieces. Day-old bread is best but any bread will work. Place the bread in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8-inch-by-8-inch cake pan.
• Add the reduced heavy cream mixture to the bread pieces and mix until combined. Transfer to the prepared cake pan and sprinkle the kosher salt over the top. You want just a light sprinkle to give it that salty and sweet taste. Bake until firm in the middle, like brownies, about 20 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.