I realized after categorizing my recipe index that I make a lot of muffins. And I love muffins, but I wanted a change. I wanted something simple, yet divine…something quick, but that could be re-heated. And sure enough, this recipe, which I had saved a week or two ago came to mind…meeting all of my criteria. 😀
Divine but simple does not translate to picturesque, however. But I hope you know by now not to judge a recipe on looks alone…right? Right. Especially when I’m behind the lens. But sometimes the recipes that result in questionable-looking piles of brownish mass end up being the best, wouldn’t you agree? And if you want to impress guests, the scents alone will be enough to win them over.
Vanilla Maple Breakfast Bread Pudding originally from Bran Appetit, adapted by and from My Bizzy Kitchen
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
2 Tbsp lite syrup
10 ounces whole grain bread, cubed into bite-sized pieces
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups fat-free half and half
1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, seeds removed
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp brown sugar, to top
Directions:
Put brown sugar, butter, and maple syrup in the bottom of an 8×8 baking dish.
Heat in the microwave 30 seconds to 1 minutes or until the butter is melted and the sugar starts to dissolve. Stir the mixture together until all the sugar is mixed with the syrup and butter.
Put the diced or torn bread on top of the sugar mixture in the baking dish.
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Whisk the cream, milk, vanilla, and salt into the eggs.
Pour the cream mixture over the bread but do not stir! Press the top of the bread mixture into the cream to get every piece to soak in some of the cream mixture. Cover the dish with foil and let it sit, overnight, in the fridge.
In the morning, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Bake, covered for 25-30 minutes, or until set. Remove the foil, add the tablespoon of brown sugar on top and broil another 5-10 minutes (375-400 F) so its nice and browned. Yield: 6 servings (about 1 1/4 cups each).
Nutrition Information (per serving): 321 calories; 8 g. fat; 143 mg. cholesterol; 498 mg. sodium; 51.8 g. carbohydrate; 2.5 g. fiber; 11 g. protein
Result: The recipe title says it all, and it…is…good! I knew once Biz had made this recipe twice in a brief period of time that it was a keeper. It was easy to make and as much as I thought it would most closely resemble a French toast recipe, it really was more like bread pudding. So, bread pudding lovers rejoice…here is a breakfast treat for you! Enjoy!
[/print_this]I would like to make note that the original recipe called for pure maple syrup. I, however, made the mistake of grocery shopping with you-know-who. And…he had heart palpitations when I grabbed the $5.99 (small) bottle of pure maple syrup.
I believe his exact words were, “Nicole, please tell me you’re kidding,” as he pointed proudly to the $1.95 sale sign on the Kroger brand sugar-free syrup. He then processed to take his point to a health debate. “How many calories does THAT (the pure maple syrup) have per serving?” I politely responded with, “Two-hundred for one-fourth cup.” Of course he shot back with, “MINE has thirty calories for the same amount, BOOYA!” I wasn’t going to argue with the man, and we “compromised” on the “lite” Kroger brand, $1.95 on sale fake stuff. Sometimes, you just have to compromise give in. But please do know, I very much so bat for team pure maple syrup, especially when being used in small amounts in a recipe. A little bit of the GOOD and REAL stuff goes a long way…HUSBAND.
Question: What kind of syrup do you use?
Love,
I only buy the real stuff. I’ve never actually looked at the ingredient labels until a few weeks ago and was shocked (or not) to see that all the fake stuff has absolutely zero real syrup in there (unless of course you are talking about corn syrup) – even the stuff that claims it is all natural.
Crazy.
This looks fabulous! I’ve never had bread pudding before, but I think you’ve convinced me to try it! 🙂
Author
Sweet and savory are both wonderful!
Haha, I bat for team pure maple syrup as well. 🙂
So glad you liked it Nicole! And while I am all for the full taste of maple syrup, my go to sugar free pancake is Smuckers – I’ve tried them all, Aunt Jamima, Cary’s, etc., but Smuckers doesn’t have the aftertaste some of the others do. 😀
Happy Thursday!
Author
Delicious! I will have to try Smuckers next…and not take Mark with me to veto it for the cheeeeeeeeeap stuff.
We have relatives that are maple syrup makers in Canada and my grandparents give us either their maple syrup or other homemade syrup every holiday. For that reason, we have gallons sitting in our cupboard, and I’d probably be shot if I used anything but the real deal.
I love bread pudding! The fact that this is for breakfast is my dream come true 🙂
Author
I actually thought this would tickle your fancy!
I’m all about the real stuff! Bread pudding rocks. Great recipe!
Only Pure Maple Syrup–GRADE B specifically! Can’t ever go back to the Grade A tasteless stuff!
Author
Amen!
Ok – first I really need to make bread pudding. I’ve never had it before, and everytime someone posts about it I want some.
Second, $5.99 for maple syrup is kind of amazing. I dont know what size your small bottle is, but the small bottle I buy is $11.99 and Im from Canada. Maple syrup is kind of our thing, it should be cheaper here. Crazy town. Still, I only ever buy the real stuff. The fake stuff grosses me out, I dont like the taste of it at all.
Author
It was small! 8 ounces, I am almost positive. I am seeing a trend, though…Canada = expensive!!!
I’ve never had real maple syrup. I only buy the store brand stuff for the husband because I don’t eat it and the husband prefers the fake stuff. Go figure!
OK, this looks amazing. My sisters and I made a Pear-Cranberry Vanilla Bread Pudding on Christmas morning for my parents and it was divine. I like the idea of this one, putting fresh fruit on top. I have a feeling my family would be all over it! 🙂
I am guilty of buying “lite” syrup. I KNOW the real stuff is ten hundred times better (d’uh it’s natural!) but it’s a biiiig calorie jump for someone who pretty much puts syrup on everything…:/
Author
That bread pudding sounds amaaaaazing!!!
This post is a reminder that I need to start being more creative with my breakfasts. This looks amazing!
Okay, I eat the fake stuff when I’m eating pancakes, waffles, etc. But I’ll use the real stuff when I’m baking (or have it for others when I’m hosting brunch) because the calories are spread out. But I also use splenda. I personally prefer to cut the calories. I believe that Whole Foods has a sugar free syrup sweetened with stevia but it’s fairly expensive too!
Author
Sarah, I do the same thing – the good stuff when baking…for the same reasons. Good to know about the Whole Foods stevia one, though!
I have never made a bread pudding but that sounds amazing.
I am a pure maple syrup gal – I used to use the fake stuff but as you said, a little goes a long way.
I buy it in a big container and it lasts forever – one big hit in the wallet as opposed to a small container (plus it is usually much cheaper per ounce).
Author
That’s what I need to do…just one hard punch and then a long time of maple syrup bliss ;0)