Pumpkin Bread Pudding - Gluten-Free

A Bread Pudding Worthy of a Party.

I rarely even think about food these days (I seem to have returned to my art school habits of running on fuel comprised of coffee, painting, and music). I don't daydream of desserts or breakfast, or intricate candlelit suppers. I do not spend much time at all on the Internet lately.

I am hungry instead for inspiration.

For autumn's burnished light and shadow.

Rusted jewel colors and texture. Pattern. And rhythm.

I am walking the local woods and creeks, listening, breathing in. Fed by the foggy morning softness and water sounds, and leafy, wet wood smoke. Gathering images and emotions for markmaking and paint slinging. Food- for better or worse (I'm not a judger)- is simply not on my radar these days.

But this past weekend I woke with a curiously strong hankering for old fashioned pumpkin bread pudding.

And gluten-free goodness ensued.

Karina
xox





How to make a (fabulous) pumpkin bread pudding ... 

To make a gluten-free pumpkin bread pudding, you gotta break some eggs.

And you need some brioche. Oddly (um, not) I had no gluten-free brioche laying around.

What I did have?

Udi's Classic Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns (my multi-talented husband uses these to make wicked good Sloppy Joe's). These fluffy GF babies slice up brilliantly- and toast like champs. I'm not making this up. (And just so you know, to be perfectly clear here- I buy these buns on my own- without prompting. This is not a sponsored post.)

Note-- You are free to use any gluten-free bread or rolls you like- as long as they are light, and not dense, or heavy.

Bread pudding is so easy to make. A classic. And adding pumpkin to the simple egg custard gives it that special, sparkly holiday flair. Sprinkle it with powdered sugar- after it cools a bit- and it looks elegant. Impressive.

It makes a perfect Thanksgiving side dish or dessert. And it's lovely for Christmas breakfast. (You can make it ahead of time- a definite plus for the annual holiday hustle.)

Or bookmark it on Pinterest for some future snow day. Pure comfort food.

An added bonus- my pumpkin bread pudding recipe is not only gluten-free, it's also dairy-free. I use creamy coconut milk. The flavor? Superb.

Karina's Pumpkin Bread Pudding Recipe

Recipe originally posted November 2013 by Karina Allrich.

The trick to baking a pudding with gluten-free bread is to treat it gently. Gluten-free bread lacks the tried-and-true stretch and tenacity gluten imparts to wheat bread. If you soak gluten-free bread too long it turns to mush. So soak gently, Babycakes. And keep a tender eye on it as it bakes.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Earth Balance stick (or butter if you prefer)

4 Udi's Classic Hamburger Buns (10.4 ounces)

6 large free-range organic eggs, beaten

1 14-oz can cooked pumpkin puree

1 cup coconut milk

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon McCormick's Pumpkin Pie Spice

2 teaspoons good vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Cinnamon

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 325º. Rub a tablespoon of Earth Balance stick inside a 6-cup baking dish. Set aside.

Slice the Udi's Classic Hamburger Buns crosswise into strips and lay the pieces on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Lightly toast them in the oven until slightly golden- roughly 15 to 20 minutes. remove from the oven and set aside.

While the bun pieces are toasting, make your custard. Combine the beaten eggs, canned pumpkin, coconut milk, maple syrup, light brown sugar, Pumpkin Pie Spice, vanilla and sea salt in a large mixing bowl and beat well- until smooth and creamy.

Place the toasted bun pieces in a large shallow pan, or baking dish, and pour the custard mixture all over the bread, gently turning over the pieces to coat all sides. Allow the custard to seep into the pieces- much like French toast. Don't stir too often or vigorously, or the pieces will fall apart. Soak for 10 minutes or so- pressing down gently to get all the custard inside the pieces.

Carefully transfer the bread pudding mixture to the prepared baking dish and arrange the pieces evenly. Melt one tablespoon of Earth Balance stick and drizzle it all over the top of the pudding. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.

Set the baking dish inside a larger, sturdy pan- a roasting pan, for instance.

Set the pans on the middle oven rack. Pour 2 inches of hot water in the larger pan, around the baking dish to bake the pudding in a water bath.

Bake in the center of the oven for 25 minutes; check for browning. If the top is browning by this point, cover it loosely with a piece of foil. Continue to bake for another 20 to 30 minutes until the custard is set all the way through. A thin knife inserted into the center should emerge clean. (Note- if the custard is very cold, it may take longer to bake through- up to an hour.)

Carefully remove the pans from the oven. Take the pudding dish out of the water bath and set it on a wire rack to cool a bit.

Sift powdered sugar on the top right before serving.

Serves 6.

Recipe Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com

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Recipe Notes:

For those of you preferring dairy- yes, you can use real butter and dairy cream (I'd suggest Half & Half) in this recipe.

If you don't have Udi's gluten-free hamburger buns, try using your favorite gluten-free white bread, rolls, challah, or French bread. Just make sure you enjoy the texture of the bread you choose- because a bread pudding is all about texture. I would not use anything chewy, heavy, dense, or with seeds.