Warm Cinnamon Bread Pudding in Bourbon Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 day-old loaf of Imperfect Foods Cinnamon Bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 cups whole milk
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 4 large eggs
• ⅓ cup plus 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• ⅓ cup bourbon
• Zest of one orange
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish.
2. Combine 1 Tbsp sugar with orange zest in a medium bowl with your fingers. Mix until very fragrant.
3. Whisk in the milk, cream, eggs, bourbon, remaining sugar, vanilla, and salt in the same bowl until smooth. Evenly distribute bread in the baking dish and pour milk mixture over the bread. Soak for at least 15 minutes.
4. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the center is set. Cover with aluminum foil if bread browns too quickly.
5. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes to set. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm.

Recipe Notes and Variations

• Add a few more spices like nutmeg, ground ginger, and cardamom to really kick the flavor up a few notches.
• Get out the rest of your stale bread for this classic cinnamon french toast.
• This recipe would be a bit tricky to make vegan, but for something a little lighter on the dairy, swap out the whole milk for coconut or oat milk.
• If you’d prefer your cinnamon bread pudding alcohol-free, mix 1/4c water with a teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar to use in place of bourbon.