Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Last week I signed up to bring a dessert to Bible study. I wanted something pumpkin-y being the week before Halloween and finally Fall. I couldn't find any recipes for a pumpkin bread pudding that looked good, so I threw this together, and I ended up loving it. Thankfully I wrote everything down this time so I could post the recipe for future use. Here you go:

Alicia's Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

1 loaf of dense bread (I used a homemade - not by me - loaf of whole wheat)

6 eggs

1 1/2 cups half and half (or heavy cream or even whole milk)

1/3 cup apple cider

1 cup brown sugar

1 can pureed pumpkin

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Cube the loaf of bread, and spread into a well-greased 9x11 baking pan. Whisk the remaining ingredients until well-blended, and pour over the bread. Use the back of a spoon to press the bread down to ensure that it soaks up the custard, then refrigerate overnight.

Topping:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup apple cider

2 cups chopped nuts (I used pecans)

Melt the butter, brown sugar, and cider in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in the nuts. Pour over the bread pudding.

Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes.

*I only added 1/3 cup of brown sugar to the custard mixture, and it was not enough. To combat the savory flavor, I made this caramel sauce to drizzle over the top. I loved it. If you make the sauce, make sure you reduce the amount of brown sugar you use in the custard so it is not too sweet.