cinnamon roll bread pudding with bourbon caramel sauce
Recipe courtesy of Molly Brawley, Executive Pastry Chef, James River Country Club (Newport News, Va.)
Ingredients
- Ingredients for bread pudding:
- cinnamon rolls - 12 ea., jumbo, day old/slightly stale
- heavy cream - 1 quart
- half and half - 1 quart
- eggs - 10 ea., slightly beaten
- granulated sugar - 1/2 cup
- maple syrup - 1/4 cup
- vanilla extract - 2 tsp.
- ground cinnamon - 2 tsp.
- ground nutmeg - 1 tsp.
- high-quality amaretto - 1 Tbsp.
- Ingredients for bourbon caramel sauce:
- granulated sugar - 1 cup
- softened butter - 6 Tbsp.
- heavy cream - 1/2 cup
- high-quality bourbon (Chef's note: I use Maker's Mark.) - 2 Tbsp.
Instructions
Instructions for bread pudding:
- Preheat oven to 325°F. While oven is preheating, cut cinnamon rolls into 1-1/2 inch cubes.
- Place cut cinnamon rolls in large bowl and set aside.
- Prepare custard in a separate bowl by mixing heavy cream, half and half, eggs, sugar, syrup, seasonings and amaretto. Whisk until smooth and uniformly mixed.
- Pour custard over cut cinnamon rolls and toss a few times to coat.
- Let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature, so the rolls can soak up custard before baking.
- Spray a large 2-inch hotel pan with non-stick spray. Place bread pudding into pan and spread evenly.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until lightly browned on top and center is mostly set.
- Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and bourbon caramel sauce.
Chef’s note: I prefer to let bread pudding refrigerate overnight to get the most clean-cut slices, and then heat before serving.
Instructions for bourbon caramel:
- Heat granulated sugar in a heavy-duty saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Sugar will form clumps but will eventually smooth out into a light brown liquid consistency, about 5-6 minutes. (Chef’s note: I like to use a wooden spoon for this step. Then I switch to a whisk.)
- Once sugar is completely melted, stir in soft butter until completely melted and combined. (Chef’s note: Use caution because the hot caramel will bubble rapidly. Make sure to whisk quickly. If it starts to separate, remove from heat and vigorously whisk again to combine.)
- Add heavy cream while still over medium heat and whisk rapidly. After mixed, allow the cream to boil for one minute.
- Add in bourbon. .It will rise in the pan slightly as it boils. (Chef’s note: Use caution as the sauce will be extremely hot at this point.)
- Remove from heat and let cool slightly. You may also strain if there are any small lumps of sugar leftover. The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.
Chef’s note: You can store this up to one month in the refrigerator. Caramel will solidify in refrigerator, reheat in microwave for easy use.
