Just when we were “all-in” and raring to jump into the beautiful western North Carolina spring…along came COVID-19 aka coronavirus to derail our plans! With much of our country staying safe and staying home…well, what else is there to do but bake? We’re baking up a storm here at Wildberry Lodge, and we’d like to share one of our favorites with you!

Glenda’s Cinnamon Bread Pudding with Crème Anglaise:

According to Wildberry innkeeper Glenda Cahill, “I always hated bread pudding – at least I thought I did.  Then I began to experiment…and found a recipe that I loved. The verdict from my guests is, well… an empty dish.”

INGREDIENTS

Bread Pudding

• 2 cups Sugar
• 6 eggs – beaten
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3-4 cups stale cinnamon bread
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• ½ stick ( ¼ cup )  room temperature butter
• 1 cup Pecans (chopped)

Creme Anglaise

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS

Directions for Bread Pudding

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Grease or spray an 8 x 12 baking dish (any similar size will work)
3. Cube bread and add to baking dish
4.  Mix together sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla and pour over bread cubes
5.  Set in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes, but can sit overnight.
6. In a separate bowl mix the brown Sugar, butter, and pecans .
7. Sprinkle mixture over bread cube mixture before baking.
8. Bake 40-45 minutes, until set (baking time may vary, insert testing straw/toothpick into center of pudding if the straw is clean when removed the pudding is set)

Cool 10 minutes and serve warm in dessert cups with Crème Anglaise spooned over top.

Directions for Crème Anglaise

1. In a small sauce pan, heat cream until it bubbles
2. While cream is heating, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until smooth
3. Slowly pour ½ cup of the warmed heavy cream into the egg yolk mixture and whisk together.
4. Gradually add the egg/sugar/cream mixture back into the rest of the warm cream and continue to cook whisking constantly.
5. Add the vanilla.
6. Continue to cook until the mixture coats the back of a spoon.
7. Serve warm

Note: You can add 1 tbsp cinnamon to regular bread cubes if you do not have cinnamon bread.  The smell of this dish baking will bring everyone early for breakfast – so be ready!

Click here if you’d like more of our favorite recipes. When this is all over, and our lives return to normal, Wildberry Lodge and the greater Asheville area await you. Just minutes from both the Blue Ridge Parkway and downtown Asheville, our bed and breakfast offers all the comforts of traditional hotels with the welcoming feel of a private home. Reserve your room online or call 828-683-2525.