Pumpking Bread Pudding with Dolce Creme Sauce

By LDenvir

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter, room temperature, for dish
• 1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin puree
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup light-brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon anise seed, roughly chopped
• 10 ounces day-old bread, such as brioche or sourdough, cut into 1/2-inch slices or 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
• 1 cup homemade Dulce de Leche, or store-bought, warmed

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2-quart baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, milk, cream, eggs, brown sugar, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, and anise seed. Arrange bread in dish. Pour custard over bread and top with pecans. Bake until custard is set, 45 minutes. Let cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature, drizzled with dulce de leche.

6 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
Directions

In a medium saucepan, bring milk, sugar, and salt to a simmer over medium. Remove from heat and whisk in baking soda (mixture will foam). Return to a simmer and cook over low, stirring occasionally and skimming off any foam, until sauce is deep golden brown and lightly coats a spoon, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl.