Paula Deen Sweet Potato Bread Pudding with Pecan Crumble

Paula Deen Sweet Potato Bread Pudding with Pecan Crumble is an easy Southern dessert made with sweet potato custard, white bread and oats, ready in 9 hours with chilling. Save this make-ahead holiday dessert for Thanksgiving, church supper or potluck night, because it feeds a crowd.

Let the assembled pudding sit in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight, since that's when the bread soaks up the custard. Bake it right away and the middle turns out patchy, with dry bread next to puddles of custard.

Paula cooks the custard on the stove, tempering the egg yolks with hot milk before they go in the pan, so it comes out silky and never scrambled. Straining it before it hits the bread also catches any stray bits, which keeps the finished pudding smooth under that crumble.

Paula Deen Sweet Potato Bread Pudding with Pecan Crumble

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: DessertCuisine: American, SouthernDifficulty: Medium

Servings

15

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

50

minutes

Calories

430

kcal

Bread soaks overnight in a spiced sweet potato custard, then bakes under a crumble of pecans, oats and brown sugar. The top turns crisp and golden while the pudding underneath stays soft and bubbly.

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole milk
  

• 1/2 cup sugar
  

• 1 1/2 cup firmly packed and divided brown sugar
  

• 1 1/2 cups pureed sweet potato
  

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  

• 1/4 teaspoon Ground nutmeg
  

• 6 egg yolks
  

• 2 (1 lb, 4 oz) loaves crusts removed white bread
  

• 1 cup all purpose flour
  

• 1 stick cold diced (plus more for pan) unsalted butter
  

• 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
  

• 1/2 cup toasted and chopped pecans
  

Directions

• Prep the dish: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter a 13 by 9-inch baking dish.
• Heat the milk mixture: Combine 2 cups whole milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 cups sweet potato puree, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat just until it begins to boil, then set aside off the heat.
• Temper the yolks: Whisk the 6 egg yolks in a medium bowl until smooth. Ladle in 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture in a slow, steady stream while whisking constantly, then whisk in another 1/2 cup.
• Cook the custard: Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. It's ready in 3 to 5 minutes, once it's thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, so strain it and set it aside.
• Layer the bread: Cover the bottom of the baking dish with a layer of bread slices from the 2 loaves, crusts removed. Pour about 1/4 of the custard over the bread, then repeat with the remaining bread and custard, ending with custard.
• Chill overnight: Cover the dish and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. That time lets the bread soak up the custard evenly.
• Make the crumble: Combine 1 cup flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 stick cold diced butter, 1/2 cup quick cooking oats and 1/2 cup toasted, chopped pecans in a medium bowl. Mix with a hand mixer on low speed until well combined.
• Bake and serve: Sprinkle the crumble over the chilled bread pudding. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the crumble is golden and the custard is bubbly, then serve warm.

Tools for this recipe

• Pyrex 9x13 glass baking dish, Cuisinart MultiClad Pro 3-quart saucepan, Cuisinart fine mesh strainer set, Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon vanilla extract, 8 oz. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I use canned sweet potato instead of fresh?

Plain canned sweet potato puree works fine, as long as it isn't packed in syrup or sold as pie filling. Those versions are already sweetened and spiced, so the custard would end up too sweet.

Do I really have to chill it overnight?

Yes, give it at least 8 hours, because that's when the bread soaks up the custard all the way through. Skipping it leaves you with dry spots in the bread and a runny layer of custard.

Can I use a different bread?

Soft white bread with the crusts removed is what the recipe calls for, so it soaks up the custard into a tender pudding. A sturdier bread like day-old French bread would give you a chewier, denser texture.

How do I store and reheat leftovers?

Cover the dish and keep it in the fridge, then reheat individual portions in a 350°F oven until warm. The crumble softens a bit as it sits, so a few minutes in the oven helps it crisp back up.

What's the most common mistake with the custard?

Pouring the hot milk into the yolks too fast is the usual problem, since it scrambles the eggs. Ladle it in slowly while whisking nonstop, then strain the custard to catch any bits.