Easy Banana Bread Pudding
When my friend Catherine just turned 50, and didn’t want any fanfare. And she wasn’t just saying it in the way that some of us do sometimes, “Oh, no….no party for little ol’ me, I don’t want to be a bother.” She insisted on no celebration with an ardor that left nothing to be wrongly interpreted.
As in, if you even thought about something like a surprise party she would enter, turn on her heel and march out, but not before bursting into tears and point a finger at you and yelling, “J’accuse!” or something dramatic.
So, because I love her and because I am a little bit afraid of her, I left her a nice birthday message, and then I made and dropped off this warm, sweet banana bread pudding (her kids don’t like cake – weirdos), leaving it with her doorman so she wouldn’t even have to see me and acknowledge that I was making a birthday gesture. She sent me gracious and complimentary texts, and at some point I was allowed to take her out for a girls’ night, where we had lovely time and did not discuss that she turned 50.
The Best Banana Bread Pudding: Sweet and happy-making, like the perfect marriage between bread pudding and banana bread.
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Dry Bread Cubes for Banana Bread Pudding
it may seem counterintuitive, but the best bread for bread pudding (and stratas and stuffing) is bread that is slightly stale. Dry bread absorbs the custard and any liquid the recipes calls for more easily, while soft moist bread will simply fet leaden and soggy.
If your bread is fresh, and you don’t have time to wait for it to dry out, you can simply toast the cubes in the oven for a bit until the get a bit crusty and dry.
How to Make Banana Bread Pudding
If your bread is fresh and moist, spread the bread cubes on a rimmed baking sheet and toast them for 4 minutes, just until the outsides firm up a bit. Place the bread cubes in the pan.
In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Add the mashed bananas. Pour about 3/4 of the custard over the bread cubes in the pan and let sit for about 5 minutes so that the bread absorbs some of the liquid.
Pour the rest of the custard over the top.
Transfer the bread pudding to the pan and bake for about 50 minutes, until the pudding sets, and the top is golden brown. Let sit on a wire rack for 15 to 20 minutes until it firms up a bit, but is still warm.
Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if desired.
Other Banana Recipes:
Here are 4 more treats you can make with bananas.
- Mini Banana Bread Loaves
- Best Banana Cream Pie
- Banana Bread with Chocolate and Crystallized Ginger
- Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
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Banana Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 slightly stale egg challah about 1 pound, cubed
- 4 large eggs
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 very ripe bananas mashed
- Sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream to serve (optional)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- Spread the bread cubes on a rimmed baking sheet and toast them for 4 minutes, just until the outsides firm up a bit. Remove the bread, but leave the oven on.
- Place the bread cubes in the pan. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Add the mashed bananas. Pour about 3/4 of the custard over the bread cubes in the pan and let sit for about 5 minutes so that the bread absorbs some of the liquid. Pour the rest of the custard over the top.
- Transfer the bread pudding to the pan and bake for about 50 minutes, until the pudding sets, and the top is golden brown. Let sit on a wire rack for 15 to 20 minutes until it firms up a bit, but is still warm. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if desired.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition values are provided as an estimate. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a qualified healthcare professional.
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The ONLY bread pudding I’ll eat. Truly scrumptious
It’s an awesome recipe, I have to say. Just a little creaminess added to the best end of summer ingredients in the world.