Date-Walnut Bread Pudding
Prep Time: 40 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes | Serves: 8
The journey was a little rough, but the destination was delicious.
I had to ditch the original idea, a date muffin recipe, that infuses the same main flavors as in this bread pudding recipe. I hate it that I cannot bake like the pros. Maybe I can just blame it on Tennessee’s ridiculously humid summers.
So, why not benefit off the pro bakers and just utilize their talent and products? Let’s turn this frown upside down and make bread pudding. Maybe I’m more of a pudding kind of baker anyway.
The bread matters. Challah and brioche are great options for the bread component, but if you don’t bake your own (join the crowd!), purchase the loaf and let it sit on your counter for a day or so. Breads that are too soft will soak up the liquid too quickly and be mushy. Not cool. Really tough, thick, chewy crusts on bread loaves will still be a bit tough through the soaking and baking. Not cool either. Challah and brioche are good choices.
I have been gifted an Elderberry Dark Balsamic Vinegar from Abingdon Olive Oil Company. My husband and I have loved this store for years. Their excellent-quality oils and vinegars have never disappointed. The Elderberry Balsamic tastes of prunes to me, so pairing it with dates seemed a reasonable choice. Super-delicious in this recipe!
If you happen to purchase dates with their pits (speaking from experience here) make a shallow slit across the top and pull them apart, remove and discard the pit.
Some bread pudding recipes online do not temper the eggs and dissolve the sugar before tossing with the bread, but mine does. I like the creaminess that it brings. The addition of heavy cream instead of whole milk flying solo was a must. The richness is decadent. So, why not serve with ice cream and/or whipped cream to top it off to just add to the decadence? Just go ahead and sift the confectioners’ sugar, too. Let’s go all out.
The recipe can be easily doubled.
Enjoy!
Date-Walnut Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 cup pitted dates, chopped
- 2 tablespoons Elderberry Dark Balsamic Vinegar, Abingdon Olive Oil Company
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 4 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- zest from 1 orange, at least 1 heaping teaspoon
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
- 1 16-ounce Brioche or Challah loaf, 1 to 3 days old, cut into 1 1/2" cubes
- Confectioners' sugar, for sprinkling
- Vanilla ice cream, for serving
- Caramel Sauce, for serving
- Sweetened Whipped Cream, for serving
Caramel Sauce:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
Sweetened Whipped Cream:
- 2 cups cold heavy whipping cream, or heavy cream
- 2 heaping tablespoons confectioners' sugar, or to taste
Instructions
- Butter a 9” or 10” baking dish (3 to 4-quart dish) with 1 tablespoon of the butter and set aside.
- Place the chopped dates and Elderberry Dark Balsamic Vinegar in a small bowl. Stir to separate the dates. Set aside.
- Crack the eggs into an extra-large bowl, add the yolk, and lightly scramble with a fork or whisk. Set aside.
- Place the whole milk, heavy cream, remaining 4 tablespoons butter, vanilla, zest, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sea salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer, lowering the heat if necessary to keep from boiling. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, the butter is melted, and the milk is hot, but not boiling.
- Temper the eggs by slowly drizzling about ½ cup of the hot dairy mixture into the eggs while whisking the eggs with the other hand. Add another ½ cup of the hot liquid into the eggs while whisking again. Continue this process until you’ve mixed about half of the milk mixture into the eggs. Slowly pour the remaining hot mixture into eggs while whisking.
- Add the balsamic-soaked dates and walnuts to the mixture and combine.
- Add the bread cubes to the egg-date mixture and gently toss all the ingredients together. Pour into the greased baking dish.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Let it sit for 30 minutes before baking to allow the bread to soak the dairy and eggs. (There will be some standing liquid in the dish; that’s great!)
- (See Notes for alternative baking instructions.) Cover the baking dish with foil and bake in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. The top should be nicely browned.
- Remove from the oven. Serve with a sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar, vanilla ice, caramel sauce cream and/or sweetened whipped cream.
- While the bread pudding is baking, make the caramel sauce. Place the sugar and water In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Allow the sugar to melt and bubble, stirring when necessary.
- Keep an eye on the sugar as it darkens. When the caramel is turning a medium-dark amber color, remove the pan from the heat.
- Add the heavy cream. Be careful; it will bubble up. Add the butter and vanilla and stir until the mixture is smooth. Use with the Bread Pudding, or pour into a bowl to cool. The caramel can be made up to 5 days in advance, kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- To make the whipped cream, add all the ingredients to a stand mixer bowl and attach the whisk attachment. Whip on medium-high until stiff peaks form. Best if used within 4 to 6 hours.
This looks amazing!
Thank you!
This Looks great, can’t wait to try it out!!