Bourbon Molasses Bread Pudding with Boozy Pecan Sauce
Bourbon Molasses Bread Pudding lightly spiced with cinnamon and vanilla, then topped with a boozy pecan sauce!
Who needs a birthday cake when you can have delicious bread pudding?!
At my house, it’s tradition for the birthday guy or gal to choose their favorite feast and cake. Sometimes we go out for the meal, but most of the time I’ll cook up their request, and I definitely make the cake. I mixed things up a bit with Michael’s 25th birthday meal. Michael is my daughter’s boyfriend of 5 years (or is it 4 years, maybe 6?).
I choose the meal, and I asked Ashley what dessert she thought he would prefer, boozy bread pudding or peanut butter pie.
I knew the answer. I just wanted to see if I was still in sync with the 20 year olds :0)
This classic recipe has been adapted by so many different cultures. Some recipes add maple syrup or custard, and others fold in raisins and walnuts. I came across this recipe with bourbon and pecans at my mother-in-laws house while looking through her magazines. Don’t you love checking out magazines you don’t get? She had Taste of the South, People, Redbook Magazines to peruse through, so I was able to catch up on the celebrity gossip, and copy a few recipes to add to my ever growing “must try” recipe collection.
This recipe from Taste of the South caught my eye because A. It would go perfectly with the Southern-style meal (fried chicken, macaroni and cheese) I was making, B. I like cooking with booze, and C. I wouldn’t feel bad about taking out the raisin from the recipe because it didn’t call for any!
I know, I know, there are a lot of raisin fans out there, but I always pass on the wrinkly thick skinned raisins.
Ingredients
Bread Pudding
- 1 1 pound loaf French bread, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 6 cups whole milk
- 6 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 3 Tablespoons molasses
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pecan Sauce
- 1 1/4 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/3 cup bourbon
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chopped pecans toasted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Bread Pudding
- Place cut bread on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until dry. Remove from oven and let cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk milk, eggs, sugar, bourbon, molasses, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Fold in bread pieces until all pieces are moist. Pour mixture into baking dish, and press bread into dish with your mixing spoon or spatula, ensuring bread is covered with milk mixture. Cover and let set aside for 30 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for about 55 minutes or until golden brown and the bread puffs. A knife inserted near the center should come out clean. Let stand for 30 minutes.
- Pecan Sauce
- In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, bourbon, water, and salt. On medium heat, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in pecans. Serve over bread pudding warm.
Disclaimer
Please note that the nutritional information provided are guidelines and may vary based on the brand of products used. For your specific nutritional goals use My Fitness Pal or Verywell Fit recipe calculators. All content within this site is not intended as medical diagnosis or treatment and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical expertise.
Taste of the South Magazine, May-June, 2012
Usually, I’ll swap ingredients for healthier options, but I left this one with all its goodness. The recipe calls for whole milk, butter, plenty of sugar, and white french bread. All that tastiness with a splash of bourbon here and there! Oh and pecans, lots of pecans are added to the sauce.
A birthday celebration would not be complete without ice cream, and while you are plating up, go ahead and add some whipped cream.
As always, eat responsibly 😉
Supremely satisfying, decadent use of molasses bread ends! Redolent of the south and bygone eras where people had time to linger over lovingly assembled and patiently baked concoctions. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
How about if I made my own molasses bread since I am gluten free and did not use the French bread? Could I dry out the molasses bread and then proceed with the recipe? Thank you, Renée
Hi Renee, Swapping your GF bread for traditional French bread should work just fine. I hope you try it. I would love to hear how it came out.
This probably sounds really stupid but isn’t it dangerous to cook with bourbon? I’ve become very paranoid, especially since a house fire a year ago (ex husbands fault) but I love to cook! I want to make this but I’m terrified of the bourbon causing a large flame. I use a gas stove. Am I just being overly paranoid?
Hi Mandi, No you are not being over cautious! I also had a friend that had a terrible house fire, and it’s terrifying, so I understand your concern. I also have a gas stove and had no problem with the sauce for this recipe. Of course you don’t want to splash it directly on the gas fire, which should be the only way it would create a havoc. Being comfortable is most important, though, so that’s your call. You can leave the bourbon out of the sauce, and it’ll still be delicious! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I love your recipes! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Raquel! I appreciate you stopping by 🙂
Plump your raisins by boiling a few minutes, drain in a colander, and add to recipe. Result no dried wrinkled raisins.
Great tip! Thank you 🙂
This is the first bread pudding recipe I come across that calls for drying out the bread cubes, makes sense as this way the dried out cubes will soak up more of the goodness and makes for a tastier pudding.
Hi Norma! I was looking at a lot of older recipes and they all say to use old bread! This is just an updated version with the same results! Have a great week 🙂
The pecans in this sauce tastes pretty amazing too 🙂