Praline Bacon Bread Pudding with Rum Raisin Crème Anglaise

Note: While this is intended to be a dessert, you can make a more savory breakfast version by leaving out some of the sugar and skipping the crème anglaise.

Put the bread on a rack in a sheet pan and leave to dry overnight. Tip: You can speed the process in a very low oven.

Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Butter the inside of a 9″ x 13″ baking dish completely.

Put the bread in a large mixing bowl and drizzle the butter over the cubes as evenly as you can, stirring or tossing occasionally. Let the bread sit about five minutes, stirring or tossing occasionally.

Combine all of the remaining ingredients, except the bacon, in a separate mixing bowl and whisk very well. Pour half of the liquid mixture over the bread and quickly fold to coat the bread evenly. Let the mixture sit about five minutes to absorb the liquid, folding occasionally.

Pour half of the bread mixture into the baking dish and spread it evenly. Sprinkle the bacon over the bread as evenly as possible. Add the rest of the bread mixture and spread it evenly.

Pour the remaining liquid over the bread as evenly as possible, then compress the bread with a spatula.

Cover the dish with foil and bake at 350ºF for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 20 minutes.

While the pudding is cooling, make the crème anglaise by simply whisking the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.

Serve with a good dose of the crème anglaise.

Enjoy!