Blackberry Bread Pudding with a Maple Whiskey Sauce

For the blackberry bread pudding:
Lightly grease an 8×8 inch glass baking dish. Place 2 cups of the bread in the dish. Spread 3/4 cup of blackberries over bread. Add in the remaining bread and spread remaining berries evenly across the top. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, 2 1/4 cups of milk, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 7 tablespoons granulated sugar, salt, cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Pour mixture over bread. Allow the bread to stand and soak for 30 minutes. Every few minutes push the bread down with a spatula so that the bread is submerged in the custard. Towards the end of the 30 minutes preheat oven to 350 F.

After 30 minutes, bake bread pudding in a water bath. To make a water bath, place the bread pudding in a larger pan with sides (like a roaster pan). Fill the larger pan with warm water until it reaches half way up the sides of the bread pudding pan. Bake in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the pudding is firm in the middle.

For the maple whiskey sauce:
Combine all remaining ingredients except the last teaspoon of vanilla in a small saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil and boil for one minute while whisking. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for a few minutes so sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cool slightly before whisking in the teaspoon of vanilla. Pour over bread pudding and serve.

Bread pudding recipe adapted from Wild Yeast Blog.