Car Bomb Bread Pudding

Good morning everyone! How are you feeling after all your St. Patty's day shenanigans? Like I mentioned yesterday, the fun is just starting for us.

I have always wanted to make a bread pudding. Most variations require a bunch of sugar in a vanilla pudding like custard over some kind of white bread. That did not interest me. As another round of the Spiked! challenge was announced, my mind went into overtime as the special ingredient is Bailey's! 

Whenever I think of Bailey's two things come to mind. First, I think of the perk it adds to coffee. Secondly, I think of Irish Car Bombs! Some great St. Patrick's Day staples are in a car bomb; Guinness, Bailey's and Jameson. I slowly came back around to the idea of a bread pudding, but with my own twist!

My variation of this traditional favorite features a Guinness Beer Bread (variation of this recipe), an irish cream custard base, and a Bailey's chocolate glaze.

Car Bomb Bread Pudding
ingredients

• 2 1/2 to 3 cups Guinness Beer Bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 eggs
• 14 oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1/4 c Irish Cream (add enough to the sweetened condensed milk to be 2 cups/16 oz)
• chocolate chips, optional

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Arrange bread cubes in a single layer in the bottom of a baking dish. I use a 9-10 inch square Pyrex casserole. 
2. Beat together eggs, sweetened condensed milk, and Bailey's. Pour liquid over the bread. 
3. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until crust is golden brown all over the top.

Chocolate Bailey's Glaze

ingredients

• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 stick butter 
• 1/2 cup milk 
• 1/4 cup Irish Cream
• 1 tsp chocolate syrup

directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Stir constantly over low heat until mixture reaches a low boil. 
2. Pour a small amount over the individual servings of bread pudding.

This bread pudding is great! It has a nice crunch while maintaining moisture and not being soggy. All of the flavor components of an Irish Car Bomb are there without the chugging, and curdling of the infamous drop shot. The bread adds the smokey coffee flavor from the Guinness without a bitterness, which is a great contrast to the Irish Cream. Berkeley loved this so much he ate it for dessert and for breakfast the next morning. So I'd say Man Tested and Approved!