Maple Brioche Bread Pudding with Smoked Bacon Streusel

Who doesn’t love bacon?  You don’t even have to eat it to love it.  But when combined with a streusel and topped on this brunch or breakfast bread pudding and drizzle with maple syrup, it is best ever.

Ingredients

For Streusel

·        1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
·        ¾ cup packed light-brown sugar
·        1 teaspoon coarse salt
·        6 ounces (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter

Smoke Slab Bacon

·        2 slices slab bacon, sliced in thin pieces for frying.

For Bread Pudding

·        1 loaf of Brioche bread or Challah loaf, cut in 1” cubes
·        8 eggs
·        5 cups of whole milk or half and half
·        3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup
·        1 tablespoon vanilla extract
·        ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
·        Soft butter for greasing baking dish
·        Confectioner sugar and maple syrup for serving

Preparation

Let’s start with streusel

1.     Mix together flour, brown sugar, and salt.  Using a fork or your fingers, cut butter into the flour mixture until small to medium clumps are form.

2.     Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.  You may have more then you need to cover bread pudding, you can put the excess in a plastic container and freeze to top on another recipe.

   

Now let’s prep the bacon

•               In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook bacon pieces until crispy.
•        Drain on paper towel and set aside.

Now let’s prepare bread pudding - preheat oven to 350 degrees

·        In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt.

·        Arrange 1” cubes of brioche in 9 x 9 greased baking dish.

·        Pour mixture over bread and press the bread down.

·        Let bread soak for about 10 minutes.

·        Top bread pudding with prepared streusel and then add bacon.

·        Place bread pudding in oven and bake for 45 – 60 minutes or until the pudding puffs up and the custard is set.

·        Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

·        With a sieve, dust bread pudding with confectioner’s sugar and serve with maple syrup.