Almond Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce

Name: Almond Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 cup whole blanched almonds; 1 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature; 0.25 tsp almond extract; 0.25 tsp kosher salt; 1 cup sugar; 0.13 tsp cream of tartar; 0.25 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces; 0.5 cup heavy cream; 1 tsp kosher salt; 1.25 cup half-and-half; 1.25 cup heavy cream; 0.5 vanilla bean, split lengthwise; 4 large egg yolks; 3 large eggs; 0.75 cup sugar; 0.25 tsp kosher salt; 1 Unsalted butter; 10 slice 1-pound loaf brioche or challah, crust removed and discarded, cut into 3/4"-thick slices; 3 tbsp sliced almonds; 2 tbsp raw sugar; 1 Powdered sugar; 1 Crème fraîche; 1 An 8"-diameter cake pan with 2"-high sides and a 3" biscuit cutter

From the kitchen of Carly

Toasted almonds ground into a buttery paste create the soul of this custard-soaked bread pudding. Drench each spoonful in homemade salted caramel sauce that balances bitter-sweet complexity with cream. Rich, nutty, and deeply satisfying.

Almond Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce

Brioche and almonds are a natural match, soaked in a vanilla custard and baked until the edges turn golden and crisp while the center stays custardy. The salted caramel sauce ties it together, but the real surprise is the almond paste layer sandwiched underneath, giving you something between pudding and cake with actual texture and depth.

Prep: n/a
Cook: n/a
Total: n/a
Servings: 4
Difficulty: medium

Ingredients

4 servings

1 cupwhole blanched almonds
1 tbspunsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 tspalmond extract
1/4 tspkosher salt
1 cupsugar
1/8 tspcream of tartar
1/4 cupunsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cupheavy cream
1 tspkosher salt
1 1/4 cuphalf-and-half
1 1/4 cupheavy cream
1/2vanilla bean, split lengthwise
4 largeegg yolks
3 largeeggs
3/4 cupsugar
1/4 tspkosher salt
1Unsalted butter
10 slice1-pound loaf brioche or challah, crust removed and discarded, cut into 3/4"-thick slices
3 tbspsliced almonds
2 tbspraw sugar
1Powdered sugar
1Crème fraîche
1An 8"-diameter cake pan with 2"-high sides and a 3" biscuit cutter

Instructions

Set the oven to 350°F. Spread the whole blanched almonds across a rimmed baking sheet and toast them, tossing once halfway through, until they begin to turn golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Spread on a clean surface and let cool completely.
Tip the cooled almonds into a food processor. Add the butter, almond extract if using, and salt, then process until the mixture has the rough, grainy texture of coarsely ground peanut butter. Set aside.
Combine the sugar, cream of tartar, and 3 tablespoons of water in a medium saucepan and whisk together. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then stop stirring and cook until the mixture starts to caramelize in patches. Draw a heatproof spatula through it to even out the color, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the syrup turns the color of honey, 10 to 12 minutes. Drop the heat to medium-low and keep cooking, stirring now and then, until the caramel deepens to a rich amber, about 5 minutes more.
Pull the pan off the heat and carefully whisk in the butter, the mixture will bubble up aggressively, then whisk in the cream and salt. Let it settle in the pan for a few minutes, then pour into a small bowl. The caramel sauce can be made up to 2 weeks ahead; cool it completely, cover, and refrigerate, then rewarm before serving.
Pour the half-and-half and heavy cream into a medium saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean directly into the cream and drop the pod in as well. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then pull off the heat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, eggs, sugar, and salt until blended. Slowly pour the hot cream into the egg mixture in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Cover the custard with plastic wrap and leave it to stand for 30 minutes so the flavors meld. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl and discard the vanilla bean.
With the oven still at 350°F, butter the cake pan and set it aside. Using the biscuit cutter, stamp circles out of each bread slice and keep the scraps. Pack the scraps into an even layer on the bottom of the pan, pressing lightly to compact them.
Spread each bread round generously with the almond butter (a small amount will be left over, good on toast the next morning). Arrange all but one round almond-butter-side down in the pan over the scraps, overlapping them slightly in a shingled circle. Nestle the final round in the center. The bread should rise about 3/4 to 1 inch above the rim of the pan.
Pour the custard evenly over the bread, letting it soak in. Scatter the sliced almonds and raw sugar across the top.
Set the cake pan inside a large roasting pan. Pour hot water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Tent a sheet of foil loosely over the roasting pan, making sure it does not press down on the bread.
Bake until the top no longer jiggles but the center still has a slight wobble, 25 to 30 minutes. Uncover the pan, raise the oven temperature to 375°F, and bake until the custard is fully set in the center and the top is golden brown and crisp, about 25 minutes more.
Lift the cake pan out of the water bath and let the pudding cool slightly. Dust the surface with powdered sugar, then cut into wedges. Plate each wedge, drizzle caramel sauce over the top, and finish with a dollop of crème fraîche.

Tips from the kitchen

Toast your almonds until they just start to brown, then let them cool completely before processing. This step takes 15 minutes but transforms the flavor from bland to nutty and complex.
When making caramel, resist the urge to stir early. Let the sugar sit and caramelize undisturbed, then stir gently once it begins to color. Watch for deep amber, not black.
Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve before pouring over bread. This removes any cooked egg bits and gives you a silky, smooth texture.
Cut your brioche into uniform 3/4-inch slices and arrange them snugly in the pan so they soak evenly and don't dry out on top.

Variations

Skip the almond paste layer and brush each brioche slice with melted butter mixed with crushed praline for a simpler approach that's still rich.
Swap the vanilla bean for 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract if you prefer convenience, though the flecks in the custard matter more than you'd think.
Toast the sliced almonds and raw sugar together in a dry pan until caramelized, then sprinkle that mixture instead of sprinkling them separately for deeper almond flavor.
Make it chocolate by omitting the almond paste entirely and layering 2 ounces of chopped dark chocolate with the brioche, then pouring custard over as normal.

Make ahead and storage

Bread pudding keeps covered in the fridge for up to 4 days and reheats gently in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes. Freezing changes the texture, so eat this fresh or within a few days for the best custardy center.