Caramelized Custard Bread Pudding Recipes

Steps:

• Cover raisins with water and orange juice. Soak while preparing other ingredients, or cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours.
• In a saucepan, heat milk, half and half, and butter but do not allow to boil. Cool slightly.
• Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Reserve 2 tablespoons of brown sugar mixture for sprinkling on top later.
• In a separate saucepan, add the remaining brown sugar mixture, vanilla, and eggs. Whisk until smooth.
• Pour heated milk mixture into sugar mixture. Add baking powder and whisk until smooth.
• Place 1/2 of bread cubes in a 2-quart casserole dish.
• Thoroughly drain raisins and discard soaking liquid. Spread 1/2 cup raisins over the bread.
• Top with rest of bread cubes. Sprinkle remaining raisins on top.
• Pour the milk mixture over the bread until the bread is saturated. Let stand for 5 minutes.
• Sprinkle reserved 2 tablespoons of sugar mixture over top.
• Place bread pudding dish in a larger pan. Carefully, add very hot water to larger pan to within 1/2 inch of tops of casserole dish. Bake at 350F degrees for 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes or until knife comes out clean when inserted 1 inch from rim.
• Serve warm or cold.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the softened butter on one side of the brioche. Cut each slice in half on the diagonal and then again into quarters.
• Whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Add the cream, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, whisking to combine well.
• Sprinkle the chocolate over the bottom of a 9-by-9-inch (or equivalent) baking dish. Arrange the brioche, buttered side up, with slices overlapping just slightly, on the chocolate (there should be just a single layer of bread). Pour the custard over the bread, pressing down with your fingers to make sure the bread soaks it up. Place the bread pudding in a roasting pan, and pour warm water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the pudding dish. Bake about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the custard is set and the bread puffs up slightly. The pudding will be springy to the touch.
• Let the bread pudding cool at least 10 minutes.
• If you have a kitchen blowtorch, sprinkle the sugar over the top, and torch to brown and caramelize. If you don't have a torch, You run the pudding under the broiler to caramelize, but be careful not to curdle the custard underneath. Serve the bread pudding from the baking dish at the table, using a big spoon.