Pumpkin bread pudding

When I tell people that I made pumpkin bread pudding this past weekend, the first thing people ask is "wait, did you make pumpkin bread, pudding" or "pumpkin, bread pudding?" So before I say anything else, I should clarify and say that I made pumpkin, bread pudding.

This is actually an important distinction because one of my favorite things about bread pudding is the fluffy texture, which in my opinion can only be achieved using soft white bread, which soaks up the eggy, creamy, and in this case, pumpkin-y custard admirably. An actual pumpkin bread, on the other hand, would create a much too dense texture despite what it may promise in intensifying the pumpkin-taste.

Anyway, I don't want to blabber too much more about semantics because this dessert is fabulous. After hearing about the great pumpkin shortage of 2010, I'm really glad I impulsively bought many cans of pumpkin from Trader Joe's and made this as my first official "it is fall now so let's bake things with pumpkin in it" dish. The bread pudding lighter that you'd expect it to be and I think that's actually a good thing because the texture of the rum and custard-soaked white bread is so delicate and fluffy that it really shouldn't be dominated by a heavily eggy or creamy custard. It's also best when it first comes out of the oven, so good that my roommate and I didn't even bother with plates and just dove in with a fork while it was still cooling on the counter. After it cools, it becomes much denser and even a trip to the microwave doesn't quite revive that lovely freshly baked texture.

Pumpkin bread pudding
From smitten kitchen

1 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin*
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs plus 1 yolk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
2 tablespoons gold rum**
5 cups cubed (1-inch) day-old baguette or crusty bread - about 1/2 loaf of baguette
3/4 stick unsalted butter

Turn on the oven to bake at 350F. Place butter in a 8x8 baking dish and let it melt in the pan as the oven preheats. Combine the remaining ingredients, except the bread, in a large bowl. After the butter melts completely, take baking dish out of the oven and toss the bread in it until the bread is evenly coated. Pour the pumpkin mixture over the bread and toss to coat. Bake for ~30 min or until the custard sets. The custard will set a little more as it cools so it can still be bubbling a little as you take it out.

*When I was farming this weekend, someone told me that the canned pumpkin we see at the grocery store isn't actually pumpkin. Or rather, it isn't the jack-o-lantern pumpkin we think of. Instead, it's a closer relative to the butternut squash. Who knew?

**Yes, this is my new favorite baking ingredient.