It may be Spring, but this quarantine has me craving warm, hearty foods, and lots of SUGAR! I also signed up for a local bread baker's CSA, (Front Porch Baking Co.) which is AMAZING, but the thing about fresh bread is that it goes stale pretty fast, so I've been having fun getting creative with ways to use any extra bread I have ( : All that being said, this recipe hit all my requirements! Super simple but sooooooo GOOD!
Ingredients
- 1 (14 ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
- 2/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground Cardamom
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 1/4 cups unflavored non-dairy milk, chilled
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1 cup walnut or pecan halves
- 1/4 cup raisins or chopped dates
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup vegan butter, melted
- 5 cups cubed (2-inch pieces) day-old bread
Instructions
-Preheat the oven to 350° and lightly oil a 9 x 9 inch baking dish.
-Cube a loaf of day old bread, and arrange the bread pieces into baking dish.
-Whisk the coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt together into a medium saucepan.
-Place the pan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a simmer.
-While the coconut milk mixture heats up, stir the non-dairy milk and cornstarch together in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. Stir until the cornstarch dissolves completely.
-Once the coconut milk mixture comes to a simmer, whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Bring the mixture back up to a simmer and allow it to cook, whisking frequently, until it thickens up to about the consistency of pudding, 1-2 minutes.
-Remove the pot from the heat and pour the mixture over the bread pieces.
-Stir the walnuts, dates, brown sugar, butter and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt together in a small bowl.
-Spread the pecan mixture over the bread mixture.
-Bake, uncovered, until bubbly and lightly browned on top, about 45 minutes.
-Remove the pudding from the oven and allow it to cool for a few minutes and serve warm, or allow it to cool and set completely before serving