Every word of the name Southern Banana Bread Pudding should get your mouth watering. “Southern” means something rich and wholesome and indulgent, and “bread pudding” means tender cubes of bread soaked in custard and spiced to a fragrant perfection. And of course, the creamy, fruity fun of banana slices all over! The only thing Southern Banana Bread Pudding doesn’t indicate from the name alone is the luscious vanilla sauce spread all over. This dish is always full of surprises, the best of which is how amazing each bite tastes!
Ingredients
For the bread pudding:
- 4 cups French or sourdough bread, day-old and cubed into 1-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup firm bananas, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
For the sauce:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Step 2 –Grease a 2-quart casserole dish.
Step 3 –Place the bread cubes in the prepared casserole dish.
Step 4 –Pour the melted butter over the bread cubes, tossing to coat.
Step 5 –In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs.
Step 6 –Add 2 cups of the milk, 1/2 cup of the sugar, 2 teaspoons of the vanilla, the cinnamon, the nutmeg, and the salt to the beaten eggs.
Step 7 –Stir the bananas into the milk mixture.
Step 8 –Pour the milk mixture over the bread cubes, stirring to coat.
Step 9 –Bake, uncovered, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
Step 10 –Melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan.
Step 11 –Combine the remaining sugar and the cornstarch together and add the mixture to the melted butter.
Step 12 –Stir the remaining milk and the corn syrup into the butter mixture and cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a full boil.
Step 13 –Boil the sauce for 1 minute, then remove the saucepan from the heat.
Step 14 –Stir in the remaining vanilla.
Step 15 –Serve the warm sauce over the warm pudding.
