Pear Bread Pudding... it's what I'm Thankful for!

Thanksgiving is only days away! Family, friends, football and food will be the focus of my four day celebration (if you’re like me, you take advantage of every ounce of holiday time).  My favorite part about Thanksgiving is spending hours in the kitchen making the traditional recipes passed down from family members and adding a few new dishes to keep everyone’s taste buds excited. This year I’ll be adding a new dessert to the after dinner menu that won’t necessitate compromising your outfit with any elastic waistbands.  

This pear bread pudding recipe yields a much less dense dessert than traditional bread pudding recipes. The pears add extra sweetness and richness to the pudding, which translates to less sugar and butter in the recipe to keep this dessert nice and light!

Pear Bread Pudding

3 generous cups of soft bread, cubed

3 eggs

2 medium sized pears, 1 sliced into thin pieces and 1 diced

¼ brown sugar, plus 2 tbsp

5 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature, divided

½ cup granulated sugar

2 tbsp half and half

¾ cup low fat milk (I use 1%)

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp allspice

1 sprig rosemary

Pecans for garnish (optional)

Preheat your oven to 400°F. 

One of the most important parts of this recipe is the bread. Make sure to splurge a little and get really good quality, soft, fresh loaf. If the bread you’re using has a soft or tasty crust feel free to include it in the recipe, or if you prefer you can remove it before cubing the bread. My favorite bread to use for this recipe is Semifreddi’s Cinnamon Twist bread (available in the bay area). It has an amazing fresh and natural cinnamon flavor and isn’t too sweet.  Using a good quality, heavy blade bread knife cut bread into 1 inch cubes, set aside.

Semifreddi's delicious Cinnamon Twist bread and a fresh red Bartlett pear from my local farmer's market.

Spread 1 tbsp butter along the bottom of an 8x8 pan, then coat with 2 tbsp brown sugar. Thinly slice 1 pear to cover the bottom of the pan, with minimal overlap. I like to use either Red Bartlett or Anjou pears.  Add half of the cubed bread and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the 3 eggs lightly. Add granulated sugar, half and half, milk, vanilla, allspice and cinnamon (if you’re using a cinnamon loaf, use ½ tsp instead of 1 tsp cinnamon) and whisk until combined.

Carefully pour half of the liquid mixture over the pear mixture, making sure to coat the bread thoroughly. Add remaining bread and pour the remaining liquid mixture over the bread.  Bake for 20 minutes, uncovered.

While the bread pudding is baking, place remaining 4 tbsp of butter and 1 sprig of rosemary in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat. Simmer until butter begins to brown. Reduce heat and remove rosemary sprig. Add ¼ cup brown sugar and the remaining diced pear and sauté until pear is semi-soft and sugar has dissolved. 

Remove the bread pudding from the oven and top with the pear- brown sugar glaze. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and bake for another 15- 20 minutes.

If you like a little extra crunch, add a few tablespoons of finely chopped pecans before serving. Enjoy with ice cream or unsweetened applesauce for a delicious, savory dessert that will leave room for mid-night leftovers!

Have a very happy Thanksgiving!  

 Semifreddi did not sponsor or provide any compensation for this blog post.