Peaches and Cream Bread Pudding

Fresh peaches are plentiful right now and therefore perfect for Lady Behind the Curtain's dessert challenge for August ... Peaches and Cream!

I was headed in a different direction with the challenge ingredients until while putting groceries away I realized that we really shouldn't have bought that package of sandwich buns because there was already a partially used package of buns hiding in the corner of the bread drawer that needed to be used first.

I've seen a variety of breads mentioned in bread pudding recipes ... Italian bread, French bread, brioche, or simply a crusty white sandwich bread - but I decided to try the buns and they actually worked very well, soft enough to absorb the liquid but they also seemed to hold their shape nicely after baking. Whatever type of bread you use, I might suggest letting the bread pieces sit out and air dry before using, just to crust them up a little more.

Peaches and Cream Bread Pudding
Day-old bread torn into bite-sized pieces (about 4 1/2 cups)
3 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 large peaches, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup chopped almonds (or pecans!)
2 tablespoons sugar

Place bread pieces into a large bowl and set aside.  Whisk together eggs, whipping cream, brown sugar, cinnamon, and almond extract until well blended. Pour over bread, tossing to coat the pieces well.

Melt butter in a non-stick skillet over medium low heat.  Add diced peaches and stir gently.  Add chopped almonds (in my case, it was pecans because the almond bag was empty!) and sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved.  Add peaches to bread mixture and place in refrigerator to chill for about 15-20 minutes.  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Pour pudding into a 11- x 7-inch baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with a non-stick cooking spray.  Bake 60-75 minutes until firm and lightly browned.

My topping of choice is a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream but it would also be nice with a dollop of whipped cream.

Husband said it would have been better with the almonds, and probably so, but I wouldn't turn around for the difference!



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Six Sisters' Strut Your Stuff Saturday