Sweet Potato Praline Bread Pudding

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Soul Food

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 2 15

Total Time: 2 45

Servings: servings

Calories: 509kcal

Author: Jazzmine Woodard

Decadent and soulful southern sweet potato bread pudding topped with homemade pecan praline sauce

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Equipment

1 sheet pan
1 oblong pan
1 mixing bowl
1 kitchen spoon or whisk or mixing spatula

Ingredients

Bread Pudding

2 large sweet potatoes roasted and peeled
2 loaves day-old French bread
8 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
15 ounces pumpkin puree
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups half and half
6 tablespoons butter melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon sea salt

Praline Sauce

1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups brown sugar
1 ½ cup pecan halves or chopped pecans
1 cup heavy cream

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Poke a few holes in sweet potatoes and place on bottom rack. Bake for about 45 minutes or until easily pieced with a dinner fork.
While the potatoes roast, prep the bread pudding ingredients: tear or cut bread into one-inch pieces and place into a large bowl. Set aside.
Remove sweet potatoes and reset oven to 350 degrees. Place in freezer for a few minutes to make them easier to handle then peel off the skin (they should come away easily) and place sweet potatoes in a bowl. Mash to your desired consistency using a wooden kitchen spoon.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs until uniform. Mix in sugar, pumpkin puree, heavy cream, half and half, melted butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sea salt then stir in the cooled sweet potatoes. This custard mixture will have some chunks of sweet potato, which is OK.
Pour custard mixture into bowl of torn bread pieces and use a spoon or rubber spatula to mix and spread the mixture until all pieces of bread are evenly coated. Transfer to a non-stick oblong pan and smooth top of mixture with spoon or spatula until it is relatively flat and even. Place pan in oven to bake for about an hour and thirty minutes.
While the bread pudding bakes, melt the butter for the praline sauce in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
Add brown sugar and cream and stir until mixture is uniform. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for five to 10 minutes in order to allow sauce to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in pecans.
When ready to serve, you can either spoon the sauce all over the bread pudding before cutting or ladle it on the individual portions. Both ways work fine but the first is easiest with a large crowd.

Notes

Recipe adapted from the Flavor Mosaic's Pumpkin Praline Bread Pudding

Substitutions

Can I use canned sweet potatoes in bread pudding? Yes, you can use canned sweet potatoes as a shortcut because they won't need to be roasted. I recommend reducing the sugar by half since canned sweet potatoes are typically already heavily sweetened.

Tips

Can I make this bread pudding ahead of time? Yes, definitely. You can complete the prep ahead of time by tearing up your bread and storing it in a sealed container until ready to go. You can make the praline sauce ahead of time and seal it up, as well (make sure you store it in the fridge). You can even mix the custard up and chill it until go time--up to 48 hours.

Freezing

Wondering how can I freeze bread pudding for later? You can! Here's how to do it for the best results.

1. Allow the bread pudding to fully cool after baking and don't pour the praline sauce over top yet.
2. Cut the bread pudding into serving size portions and wrap them in plastic wrap (or place in zip-top freezer bags) then again in foil. I recommend then placing all the servings into an airtight freezer safe container or a large zip-top bag.
3. The bread pudding should keep in the freezer for up to two months.
4. To reheat an individual serving, place it in the fridge to thaw overnight then heat in the microwave for up to one minute.
5. Serve with praline sauce once reheated.

Nutrition