Cranberry Bread Pudding

This autumnal take on bread pudding is the perfect balance of sweet, tangy and rich. With bright pops of cranberries, almond- and clove-scented custard and a sweet icing made with orange zest, it’s impressive enough to serve for dessert at a dinner party and not to sweet to serve as breakfast. Made with stale leftover bread (or oven-dried bread, as described below.), it’s a cinch to whip up and is sure to please a crowd. Grand Marnier, an orange-flavoured cognac brandy, adds subtle warm and vanilla-y flavours to the icing, but freshly squeezed orange juice is a great substitute if you’d prefer not to use the liqueur.

Bread:
1 lb loaf challah or brioche bread, cut into 1" cubes (~ 10 cups)
2 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
⅔ cup dark brown sugar, packed (145 g)
½ navel orange, freshly zested
1 tsp. pure almond extract
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1¼ cups frozen cranberries

Icing:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar (115 g)
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
½ navel orange, freshly zested
2 Tbsp. Grand Marnier or orange juice, freshly squeezed

For the Bread:
Preheat oven to 200°F (95°C) and arrange bread in a single layer between 2 rimmed baking sheets.

Bake bread, turning sheets halfway through, until dry, about 20 minutes. Let cool.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs, egg yolks, brown sugar, orange zest, almond extract, cloves, salt and nutmeg. Whisk in cream and milk. Add bread and toss to coat, then press down on bread with a spoon to submerge. Let sit 15 minutes.

Stir in cranberries, then transfer bread mixture to a 9x13" baking dish. Bake pudding until set, 45-50 minutes.

Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool until pudding is just slightly warm, about 40 minutes.

For the Icing:
In a medium bowl, whisk confectioners’ sugar, butter, orange zest and Grand Marnier until smooth.

Drizzle icing over cooled bread pudding.

Makes 8 servings.