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Easy Pecan Pie Bread Pudding with homemade Salted Caramel Sauce combines all the delicious flavors of Pecan Pie in a fabulous creamy custard bread pudding drizzled in a decadent caramel sauce. It’s the perfect Fall dessert!

A few months ago Château Dumplings sent me several boxes of their delicious bread dumplings. They asked me if I would use them in a stuffing recipe… I was more than happy to comply.

Any who…I had a couple of boxes leftover, and I knew I had to try them in a Bread Pudding recipe! (I’ve recently joined the Bread Pudding Lovers of America Club!)

Yep, until a few years ago, I wasn’t a member of the Bread Pudding Fan Club! It wasn’t until I tried Kneaders Copy Cat Raspberry Bread Pudding that I fell in love. Since my first bite… I knew I was in a long-lasting relationship with Bread Pudding! (My English ancestors did the “Happy Dance” in heaven that day! There may not be Earl Grey Tea in my life…but there was bread pudding!)

This delicious, sinfully moist Pecan Pie Bread Pudding is every bit as good as I had hoped it would be. Loaded with Pecans in a rich caramel sauce and baked in custard soaked bread, baked to a crisp and drizzled with a salted caramel sauce…what’s not to love?!! 

This recipe is adapted from one found on Allrecipes.com, but as always, I’ve added my own twist to kick it up a few notches, like the salted caramel sauce…what’s life without a few improvements and extra calories!

Let’s get baking!

How To Make Easy Pecan Pie Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce

First it’s important to know that you can make this recipe with French Bread if you can’t find Bread Dumplings. Both will produce an amazing dessert. I happen to love the ease of the bread dumplings, but don’t let that stop you from making this amazing taste treat.

Preparing the Bread Dumplings

*Please note that you can use a beautiful dense French Bread or Artisan Bread instead of Bread Dumplings.

You’ll need 1 1/2 boxes of (13 oz box) of Château Bread Dumplings. Approximately 15 slices, OR you can use 1 loaf day-old French Artisan Bread.

TIP: You will want a dense French Bread, not the airy French Bread you can buy at your market for garlic bread. Bread Puddings are best with a dense chewy bread rather than a light airy bread.

Cut bread into cubes about 1/2 to 3/4 inch in size. Place bread into a large bowl. 

TIP: If the bread dries out, that’s even better! It will soak up more of the yummy custard sauce. Don’t be afraid to cut the dumplings or bread the day before and leave them uncovered 24 hours to dry out. I did not do this. So just know, it will take a little longer for the bread cubes to soak up the batter.

Egg Custard Mixture for Bread Pudding

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, set aside.

In a medium bowl, add 5 eggs, 1 cup sugar, and 1 Tablespoon vanilla. 

Using a wire whisk mix eggs, sugar, and vanilla together until well blended.

Whisk until well combined with milk. 

Pour eggs mixture over bread and gently stir to mix. Allow to set 10–15 minutes. Gently stir several times as the bread soaks up the milk and egg batter.

As the mixture sets with the bread cubes they begin to absorb the egg mixture. That’s a good thing. You can see from the photo below how the bread soaks up a lot of that custard yumminess.

Making Caramel Pecan Sauce for Bread Pudding

While the bread is soaking, melt 1/2 cup of butter in a small pan over medium heat or in a microwave safe bowl. (I didn’t say this was low Cal Bread Pudding…not gonna happen my friends!)

Add 1 1/2 cups brown sugar to melted butter. 

Stir until brown sugar is dissolved. Mixture should be smooth… so keep on stirring until that sugar is dissolved. Nothing worse than grainy caramel sauce!

Add in 1/4 cup Heavy whipping cream! This will give you a creamier caramel sauce for your Pecan Pie Bread Pudding and make it extra smooth and rich!

Add in 1 1/2 cups of pecan halves! YUM!!! (Find me a spoon cause life just got tasty!!!)

Pour pecan mixture over the bread and egg mixture, and gently fold. You don’t need to mix it thoroughly, just fold it enough that the yummy pecan mixture forms into clumps throughout the bread pudding. 

Once you have mixed the pecan sauce into the bread pudding mixture gently pour into your prepared baking dish.

Make sure you pull a few of those pecans to the top of your bread pudding. It will make for a beautiful presentation once baked.

Baking Pecan Bread Pudding

Place into preheated oven and bake for 45–55 minutes, or until the top is slightly golden brown and crisp. The center will still be a tad jiggly. Just a tad though…ya don’t want that center flapping around like the Choir directors wings! (This is why I refuse to lead music at church…well that and I don’t know how!)

Isn’t that a purtty bread puddin’! (My poor spell check has the most bizarre added words! If it spelled country we wouldn’t have these issues! Lol)

Allow to cool at least 20 minutes. The egg mixture will continue to cook, and the bread will soak up more yumminess…plus it’s the perfect time to make that Salted Caramel Sauce you’re going to bathe that bread pudding in!

How To Make Additional Salted Caramel Sauce Topping

In a medium sauce pan, over medium heat combine 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream, 1/2 cup corn syrup and 2 Tablespoons of butter. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat; add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon salt flakes.

NOTE: Salt can be adjusted to your own personal taste. 

Cut warm Pecan Pie Bread Pudding into 12 squares. Serve with a healthy drizzle of the Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce. 

I like to serve it with a side scoop of French Vanilla Ice Cream…why not? We are already in deep calorie wise…might as well go ALL. THE. WAY!

I invited a friend over for a taste test of this decadent Pecan Pie Bread Pudding with its glorious salted Caramel Sauce.

I went to grab her a fork, when I turned back around she had eaten half of it with her fingers, and only came up for air to ask for more Salted Caramel Sauce.

In her defense she is the mother of 7 kids under the age of 13! Let’s face it…the fact that she even bothered to eat with her fingers was impressive…most would be confined in a straight jacket! So there will be no judgments here! 

I did manage to ask her if she thought it was good enough to go on the blog…there was a muted mumble between bites and a head nod in the affirmative, so I went with it! 

I hope you’ll take a moment this Fall to make this wonderful dessert! It comes together quickly and is truly the best of both worlds… Pecan Pie and Bread Pudding! It’s a marriage to be celebrated!

If you enjoy this recipe, you might also enjoy these other Fall Favorite Dessert Recipes

• Cranberry Apple Pie
• Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Dutch Apple Pie
• Layered Pumpkin Lush
• Pumpkin Pound Cake with Walnut Caramel Sauce
• Caramel Pecan Cheesecake Pie
• Simple Bread Pudding from Cooking NYTimes

Thanks so much for stopping by my Nest today and visiting with me. Remember you can always follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, where I share all my favorite recipes every day!

Have a wonderful day and, as always, “Happy Nesting”!

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