Gluten Free Orange Almond Bread Pudding Recipe

This bread pudding recipe was so amazing that my brunch guests actually swooned when they tasted it. Topped with a caramel sauce, it was perfectly smooth and dreamy! You can make this recipe up to a day ahead of time and leave it in the fridge before baking. Make sure to bring it to room temperature before putting it in the oven.

Makes 8 servings

• 2 cups (500 ml) whole milk
• 2 cups (500 ml) heavy cream
• Grated zest of 4 oranges, preferably organic (I used 6 small, ripe tangerines)
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 tablespoon orange flavored liqueur such as Triple Sec, Grand Marnier or Contreau (I used Triple Sec)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 7 ounces (200 grams) almond paste, crumbled
• 1 loaf (roughly 1 pound, or 450 grams) of firm-textured white bread, cut into 1/2″ slices – gluten-free white rice bread works particularly well for this recipe
• 1/2 cup of caramel topping of your choice, such as David’s Tangerine Butterscotch Sauce

1. Warm the milk, cream, orange zest and 1/2 cup of the sugar in a medium saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat, cover with foil or the pot’s lid, and let steep for one hour.
2. While you are waiting for the cream mixture to steep, butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish or souffle mold.
3. After one hour, reheat the cream mixture until it’s very warm. Whisk the yolks in a medium bowl, gradually adding the warm cream while whisking constantly to prevent scrambling the eggs.
4. Whisk in the vanilla extract, almond extracts, orange liqueur and cinnamon, then pour the mixture through a strainer to remove orange zest and other lumps. Set aside.
5. In a small bowl, beat the eggs and almond paste until they are smooth. You can use an electric hand mixer for this, but use a low speed as it will tax the motor in your mixer.
6. Spread a spoonful of almond-egg paste over one side of a slice of bread, then place the slice in the prepared baking dish, almond paste side down. Continue spreading paste on bread, and layering slices into the dish. If you are using a round dish, cut the slices in half diagonally, then layer the resulting triangles in a pinwheel pattern.
7. Pour the egg-cream mixture over the bread and gently press down, submerging the layers in the liquid.
8. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight (or for at least an hour), pressing down occasionally to make sure the top layers of bread are soaked through. Ed note: I recommend leaving overnight for a rich, velvety-smooth pudding)
9. Preheat oven to 350°F (170°C). If you’ve put the bread pudding in the fridge, allow it to come to room temperature before baking by placing it on the counter for at least an hour.
10. Sprinkle the top of the bread pudding liberally with sugar. Set the baking dish in a water bath by setting it in a large roasting pan, and then filling the roaster with water until it is halfway up the sides of the pudding’s baking dish.
11. Bake until pudding is puffed up in the center and the top is brown, about 1 hour.
12. Let cool until warm. Serve warm, drizzled with caramel sauce.