Butterscotch-Pecan Bread Pudding

The week after Thanksgiving is always its own kind of cozy. Leftover turkey soup on Monday and Tuesday. The good sleep that comes from having used your whole body and mind over a long weekend. The daycare reopened Wednesday and the toddlers came back refreshed and slightly confused, which is their standard mode after any break. I love them for it.

I have been thinking all week about that index card. Savannah's brine, in Gloria's handwriting, in the wooden box with the other index cards that are her whole culinary life. I have known about that box since I was fourteen. I have pulled cards out of it with permission, made recipes from it, watched Gloria pull from it for every Sunday dinner I can remember. To have something in there with my name on it, in her hand, is a thing I do not have adequate words for. It is not just a recipe. It is belonging made physical. Evidence that I was here and I made something worth keeping.

I made a cranberry walnut bread this week with the cranberries I bought for Thanksgiving and did not end up using. Quick bread, not yeast, the kind you can make in an hour. Tart dried cranberries, toasted walnuts, a little orange zest. I made two loaves and ate one and brought one to Gloria who had not seen the inside of her kitchen since before Thursday and seemed ready to have something good in the house again.

Gloria also mentioned, gently, that she is thinking about getting a cane for days when her balance is off. Just thinking about it. I said that seemed like a sensible thing. She said yes and changed the subject. I did not push. But I noted it.

I had been thinking about what to bring Gloria beyond the cranberry walnut bread — something that would sit on her counter and feel like company. Bread pudding is that kind of food for me: warm, forgiving, made from things you already have, the sort of dish that asks nothing of you except that you sit down and eat it. This Butterscotch-Pecan Bread Pudding is the recipe I keep coming back to when I want to make something that says I was thinking of you without making a whole speech about it.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 50 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes | Servings: 12

Ingredients

8 cups day-old French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
4 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
For the butterscotch sauce:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray. Spread the bread cubes evenly in the dish and scatter the toasted pecans over the top.
Make the custard. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt until smooth and well combined.
Combine. Pour the custard mixture evenly over the bread cubes. Press the bread down gently with the back of a spoon to help it absorb the liquid. Scatter the butterscotch chips over the top. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes so the bread soaks up the custard.
Bake. Bake uncovered for 45 to 50 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the center is just set — it should have a slight jiggle but not be liquid. A knife inserted in the center should come out mostly clean.
Make the sauce. While the pudding bakes, combine the brown sugar, butter, heavy cream, vanilla, and pinch of salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Bring just to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from heat.
Serve. Let the bread pudding cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting. Drizzle the warm butterscotch sauce over individual portions and serve warm. Leftovers reheat well, covered, in a 325°F oven for about 15 minutes.

Nutrition (per serving)

Butterscotch-Pecan Bread Pudding — The Kind of Thing You Bring to Someone Who Needs Something Good in the House