New Orleans Bread Pudding with Cane Syrup Rum Sauce

Bread Pudding is the classic New Orleans dessert. Creole and Cajun cooks, known for their frugality couldn’t let stale french bread go to waste, so owing back to their European origins, soaking it in a custard made of milk, eggs and spices then baking it to perfection was only natural. Bread Pudding is the treat after a fine meal at one of New Orleans's classic Creole restaurants or any of the fabulous neighborhood eateries in New Orleans and South Louisiana.  Try some of Sweet Daddy D’s Bread Pudding with Cane Syrup Rum Sauce, a New Orleans style Bread Pudding topped with a sweet sauce made from Louisiana staples, you’ll see what the fuss is all about.

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What is New Orleans French Bread?

The ideal bread pudding, in my humble opinion, is made with leftover, day (or more)-old New Orleans French Bread. If you have ever been to New Orleans and had a Po-Boy, you know that New Orleans French Bread is a thing unlike any other French Bread or any other bread, for that matter. Most french bread has a little heft to it and the crust is solid but not crunchy with a dense inside. New Orleans French Bread is unique for its crispy crust and tender, almost melt in your mouth insides.  New Orleans French Bread contains very little fat or sugar and no preservatives, which means it does not stay fresh very long, no more than a day. It’s difficult at best and nearly impossible to get authentic New Orleans french bread anywhere outside of New Orleans. 

What If I can’t get New Orleans French Bread?

No worries, just about any bread will do for this Bread Pudding. You need something that will stand up to being soaked in the custard for a while, so dense bread works well, I’ve even seen bread pudding made with donuts and cinnamon rolls.  If you don’t have leftover french bread, use any crusty bread like baguettes, brioche or challah. Actually, just about any type of bread will do, even stale white sandwich bread-just be mindful that whatever flavors are baked into the bread will also come out in your bread pudding, so using a bread you like is always good. Generally, bread pudding is sweet, so I’d avoid bread that has rye seeds, onion, garlic or other similar savory flavors.    

Here’s What You Need

For the Bread Pudding

• French bread or an available substitute.
• Dairy:  Whole milk, heavy cream, butter and eggs. Note that the butter needs to be melted and out of the 6 eggs needed, 2 need to be separated as you will only use the yolks of those. 
• Sweetness: Dark Brown Sugar, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, real Vanilla Extract and a pinch of salt.
• Optional: Sweet Daddy D's Glazed Pecans with Rum and Cane Syrup and raisins.

For the Cane Syrup Rum Sauce 

• Dairy: Butter, heavy cream
• Sweetness: Cane syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt
• Other Stuff: Cornstarch, hot water and Dark Rum

For the Glazed Pecans with Rum and Cane Syrup (Optional) 

If you decide to use the Glazed Pecans, here is the recipe, but I've listed the ingredients so you have the information:

• Louisiana pecans
• Dark or Amber rum
• Louisiana Cane Syrup
• Butter

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 Here’s What You Do

First...you have a beer. The whole thing is really simple. You’ll be making the pudding and the sauce and if you choose to use the pecans, that makes three processes that have to come together, so some mise en place will get you organized. Have a beer and read through the recipes to plan it out. The recipe for the Marinaded Pecans makes more than you need here so they can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container so you can nibble on them and they’re ready when you are.  

Preparing the Bread Pudding ingredients 

This part is quite simple but makes the process go much smoother if you do it first. Prepare a  2-quart baking dish (or a 9 x 13 pyrex dish) by coating the inside with butter.

Break, tear or cut the bread into about ½ to 1-inch pieces and set that aside in a mixing bowl. Separate the yolks of two eggs and place them in another large mixing bowl.  In separate small bowls, measure out the cinnamon, vanilla extract, dark brown sugar (make sure to pack the measuring cup), milk and heavy cream and grate the nutmeg (grate enough nutmeg for the sauce while you’re at it). Melt the butter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Prepping the sauce ingredients

Measure the butter, cane syrup, heavy cream and rum in separate vessels. Measure the cinnamon and grated nutmeg into a small bowl. Measure the cornstarch but don’t mix it with the hot water until you are ready to add it to the sauce.

Make the custard

Add 4 whole eggs to the mixing bowl with the egg yolks and whip vigorously with a whisk until they are as creamy as possible.

Next, whisk in the dark brown sugar, the melted butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of salt.

Once all of that is incorporated, slowly pour the whole milk and heavy cream into the mixing bowl while continuing to whisk it thoroughly.

Soak the bread in the custard

Pour the egg custard mix over the broken bread pieces in the mixing bowl and press down using your so that all the bread is covered with the custard mix. Mix well with your hands, slightly squeezing the bread to mix in the custard thoroughly and crush any large pieces of bread.

Allow this to sit at least 30 minutes (longer is good too) as the bread absorbs the custard. After 30 minutes, mix about ¾ cup of the Glazed Pecans into the soaked bread, if you are using them.

Make the Bread Pudding

Pour all of the custard-soaked bread into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly throughout. 

Place the baking dish into the preheated 350-degree oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  Once the bread pudding is done, remove it from the oven to cool while you make the sauce.

Prepare the Cane Syrup Rum Sauce

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the cane syrup and whisk continuously until it is completely integrated with the butter.

Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, salt and mix well.

Add the heavy cream and the rum and bring the mixture to a simmer.

Combine the cornstarch with HOT water to make a paste and add this to the sauce. Mix completely and allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes while it thickens.

To serve

The Bread Pudding can be served warm, at room temperature or cold from the refrigerator. When ready to serve, place some Bread Pudding on a small plate or bowl, then spoon some sauce on top. Sprinkle a few marinated pecans on top, if desired. 

Enjoy, it’s as simple as that.

Hints and Tips

• Can anything be made in advance? Yes! You certainly can make the Glazed Pecans day or two in advance and store them in an airtight container. Also, the bread pudding can be made the day before (I do not recommend making it more than 1 day in advance). When you have poured the bread pudding into the prepared baking dish, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Make sure it is airtight, then store it in the refrigerator overnight. Prior to baking, let the bread pudding reach room temperature, then bake as directed. See the Hint below about refrigeration and freezing the leftovers. It is possible to make the Cane Syrup Rum Sauce in advance, but I'd do that only if necessary, but if you do, airtight for the fridge, then warm it slowly in the microwave.
• Cane syrup or molasses can be substituted for dark brown sugar (¾ cup of Cane Syrup for 1 cup of dark brown sugar). Light brown sugar is also good to use. Brown sugar contains molasses, which is similar to Cane syrup, but not the same thing. Molasses is a by-product of the sugar-making process, while cane syrup is made directly from sugar cane juice.
• Here's a note on the french bread I used in this recipe. It's Reising's French Bread made by Leidenheimer Baking Co, which has been baking New Orleans French Bread for over 100 years. If you live in New Orleans you can find Liedenhiemer or Reisings just about anywhere. This Reising's product is perfect for shipping away from New Orleans. I'm sure it has a few more preservatives than you would find in the local New Orleans market. If you use it for Po-boys, heat it for about 10 minutes in a 350-degree oven, wrapped in aluminum foil. It will be the closest thing you find to New Orleans French Bread outside of New Orleans!
• How do you know when the bread pudding is ready? Pretty much the way you do when baking a cake, stick a clean knife or a wooden skewer into the bread pudding and if it comes out clean, it’s done. If the knife comes out with some pudding stuck to it, leave it in for a little while longer.
• Can bread pudding be put in the refrigerator or freezer? Bread pudding can be served warm, room temperature or cold. If you are not going to eat it right away, let it cool down from baking, then stick it in the fridge-it should not be allowed to stay out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. It will be good in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days but will start to dry out after 2 days. It can also be frozen for about 2 months. Don’t pour the sauce on the bread pudding before you refrigerate or freeze, do that before you serve it. It’s important to remember that when refrigerating or freezing, make sure to wrap or cover it in an airtight container. Either way, make sure the bread pudding has had a chance to cool down before refrigeration. Freezing the bread pudding in individual serving size is not a bad idea. Individually wrap each serving in plastic wrap, then stick them all in a freezer bad. Defrost it in the refrigerator for 24 hours. You can reheat the bread pudding in the microwave, starting on high for about 15 seconds, until it is warmed throughout. The sauce can also be warmed in the microwave before using it. 
• Is my bread too old? This recipe works with stale bread, so it’s pretty much good as long as it is not moldy. If it’s moldy, don’t use it. Otherwise, go for it. Guess what...you can also use fresh bread and it will come out just right. 
• Can I add fruit to my bread pudding?  The one dispute about New Orleans Bread Pudding is whether or not it should contain raisins. I personally prefer my bread pudding sans raisins, but many people disagree with that idea. It’s also not uncommon for some sort of fruit to be added to bread pudding. Obviously, I disagree with that also, maybe because in elementary school, the cafeteria ladies used to add a can of fruit cocktail to their bread pudding before baking it..now that’s a memory which I will leave right there. Raisins are the most popular addition. While I don’t like raisins in my bread pudding, here’s an idea. If you want to add some raisins, add them in after soaking the bread or try soaking them in some rum for a couple of hours, then fold them in while the bread is soaking in the custard.

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