Nutella Bread Pudding

This is a boozy adult version of a traditional family dessert.  Spiked with Amaretto, slathered in Nutella, and sprinkled with almonds, this dish is day-old bread at it's finest.

I like the nutty flavour of a whole grain bread for this recipe, whole wheat, oatmeal, or multigrain are all excellent candidates.  The bread should be a little dry so buy a loaf from the discounted rack at the bakery or grocery store and leave it sit unwrapped for a few hours.  If I'm forced to start with fresh bread, I'll dry the slices in a 250F oven for 15-20 minutes before assembling.  Dry bread soaks up the custard much better than fresh.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 whole wheat baguette (250-300grams)
• Nutella (1/4 - 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup icing sugar (plus extra for dusting)
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup Amaretto
• 2 tablespoons raw cane sugar

Procedure:

• Butter a 9 inch round (or square) ovenproof dish. 
• Thinly slice the baguette on the diagonal.
• Spread each slice with a thin layer of Nutella, and arrange the slices in an overlapping layer in the buttered baking dish. 
• Sprinkle the top of the bread with the almonds.
• In a large bowl whisk together the eggs and yolks. 
• Sift in the the icing sugar, and whisk to combine. 
• Add the milk, cream, and Amaretto and whisk for a minute or two, until smooth.
• Slowly pour the custard mixture over the bread, let it soak in gradually. Once you've poured it all into the pan, the bread will likely float to the top.  Gently press it down into the custard and let the whole thing sit for about 20 minutes to ensure the bread absorbs most of the liquid.  The slices will swell up a little.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F and prepare a Bain Marie.  A Bain Marie is a large pan filled with about an inch and a half of hot water.  The baking dish is set into the water for the baking process.  This ensures a slow, moist, even heat while baking the pudding.  
• Just before putting the bread pudding in the oven sprinkle the top with the raw cane sugar.
• Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 40 minutes, until set.  It will puff up a bit and become a light golden brown on top.
• Let rest for 10 minutes or so before slicing and dust the surface with a little icing sugar just before serving.

Bread pudding can be as humble or as fancy as you want to make it.  Keep the basic proportions of custard and bread, and switch up the add-ins to suit your taste and what you have on hand.  I recently substituted almond butter for the Nutella in this recipe and added some slices of brandied apricots with great results.  Fell free to experiment with what's in your pantry on a lazy Sunday afternoon, the possibilities are endless.