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2 ramekins of butternut squash bread pudding
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The Best Sweet & Savory Thanksgiving Bread Pudding Recipe

Warming, with touches of richness from the creamy custard, this sweet & savory 5 spice butternut squash bread pudding is a brilliant menu choice for the holidays! A super-easy new holiday side dish! Brown sugar & five-spice roasted butternut squash is blended into a creamy custard with milk and eggs. Layered challah, juicy apples, dried cherries, and a touch of rosemary, all covered with rich custard makes this The Best Sweet & Savory Thanksgiving Bread Pudding!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American, French
Servings: 8 People
Author: straighttothehipsbaby
Cost: $12

Equipment

  • 1 Large casserole dish or several ramekins

Ingredients

  • 1 small to medium butternut squash
  • 1/2 stick of salted butter divided into 4 tablespoon cubes
  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice divided
  • 2 cups + 1/2 cup milk divided
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 6 cups of cubed challah bread about half a loaf
  • 1 gala or pink lady apple
  • 1/2 cup dried cherries
  • 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary roughly chopped

Instructions

To Make the Squash

  • Preheat your oven to 375F.
  • Place a large piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and reserve.
  • Slice the butternut squash lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds & stringy part of the flesh with a large spoon.
  • Place the squash halves on the prepared baking sheet.
  • Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the microwave, in a microwave safe bowl.
  • Combine the 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of Chinese Five Spice, and 1 tablespoon of light brown sugar, with a generous pinch of kosher salt & pepper in a small bowl. Stir gently to combine.
  • Using a small pastry brush, apply the melted butter to the squash halves and sprinkle the brown sugar/spice mix evenly on top. Try to cover as much of the squash as you can.
  • Place the baking sheet on the middle rack in the preheated oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a knife can slide easily into the cooked squash.
  • After cooking, remove from the oven and let the butternut squash cool for 10 minutes (Keep your oven on.)

To Make the Custard

  • Using a large saucepan, combine the 2 cups of milk with the 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/8 teaspoon of Chinese Five Spice powder, and a pinch of kosher salt & pepper. Stir.
  • Next, add 3 tablespoons of cold butter to the milk and place the pot on medium heat.
  • Slowly warm until the butter has just melted, while stirring occasionally, then Remove from the heat.
  • Fork whisk the eggs in a small bowl and then whisk into the slightly cooled milk mixture. Reserve.
  • After the squash has cooled, scoop out the cooked flesh into a blender and add the reserved 1/2 cup of milk.
  • Blend until smooth. If you need more liquid to create a smoother puree consistency, add a bit of the custard mixture to the blender.
  • Add the blended squash to the pot containing the custard mix. Whisk thoroughly to combine. Reserve.

To Assemble

  • Butter a large casserole dish, or several ramekins, if you are making individual portions.
  • Peel and core your apple. Then, thinly slice and Reserve.
  • Roughly cube or hand tear your challah bread, measuring about 6 cups. Reserve.
  • Now, we will begin to layer our ingredients; spread several slices of apple on the bottom of your dish as the base, then layer some of the cubed bread, and a sprinkle of the dried cherries. Repeat the layers until your vessel is full. End with a bread layer on top.
  • Sprinkle on the roughly chopped rosemary.
  • Next, gently ladle the butternut squash custard over the bread mixture, (or portion it evenly between your ramekins if you are choosing to serve individual portions). You want to keep adding the custard liquid until it comes up to 3/4 of the container height.
  • Gently press the bread cubes down into the custard to make sure they are well coated.
  • Let sit for 5 minutes, and then transfer to the hot oven.
  • Once in the oven, lower the temperature to 350F.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the custard is just set and pulling away from the edges of the dish.
  • Remove and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

  • If you can't find challah bread at the store, brioche or any eggy bread works for this recipe.
  • You can substitute dried cranberries or even raisins, for the dried cherries. Any dried fruit that is both sweet and tart can be used in this recipe.
  • This recipe can be made ahead of time!