Recipe Revamp: Pumpkin Bread Pudding

One of the earliest recipes I posted to this blog was a Pumpkin Praline Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Sauce. It was good and I very much remember enjoying it. But, I'm not gonna lie - I haven't made it since I posted it. That tends to happen to me with new recipes - I love them, people rave about them, and then I never make them again because there are so many new recipes out there to try!

Until a few weeks ago. I was assigned dessert for a meal I was co-hosting and, I don't even have to say it: it's fall, I'm obsessed with pumpkin, there was no way this dessert was going to be anything other than pumpkin-based. After referring to my old pumpkin bread pudding recipe and reading all my little notes about what I'd do differently, I decided to just do things differently from the get-go. I tweaked quantities, changed the topping, and - most significantly - I completely changed the accompanying sauce. My tastes have matured a bit since this blog began, and even though I'm not a whiskey fan myself, I can definitely appreciate the flavors of bourbon in a spicy pumpkin dessert. So, here she is: my updated Pumpkin Streusel Bread Pudding with Sweet Bourbon Sauce.

Pumpkin Streusel Bread Pudding with Sweet Bourbon Sauce
Serves 12

1 challah (I used a cinnamon crumb challah, but a large plain challah is just fine too)

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix)

3 cups non-dairy milk (I used original flavored rice milk)

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

2-3 tsp. cinnamon (I always err on the side of cinnamon)

1 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

For the streusel topping:

4 tbsp. margarine, softened

1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

For the Sweet Bourbon Sauce

1 stick margarine

1 c. sugar

1 egg

2 tbsp. bourbon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
3. Cut the challah into 1-1.5" cubes and place in the pumpkin mixture. Mix well so all the challah cubes are covered; set aside to absorb.
4. Meanwhile, make the streusel topping. In a small bowl, mix the streusel ingredients by hand, so that they become crumb-y (pea-sized).
5. Pour the bread pudding into a greased 9"x13" pan. Drop the streusel mixture on top to cover.
6. Bake for an hour, checking after 50 minutes with a knife to see if the pudding has set.
7. To make the Bourbon sauce, melt the margarine in a small saucepan with the sugar over medium-high heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the egg and whisk continually for 2 minutes, so that the egg doesn't scramble. The mixture will thicken a bit. Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in the bourbon.
8. Serve individual portions of warm bread pudding with room-temperature bourbon sauce on top.