Ingredients
Base
- 7-8 large croissants (22 oz / ~620g), preferably dried out overnight and cut into 1" cubes
- Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Baklava filling and topping
- 1 cup (220g) brown sugar, light or dark
- 1/2 cup (168g) honey
- 6 tbsp (85g) salted butter, melted
- 2 tsp (4g) cinnamon
- 1 tsp (4g) vanilla bean paste or extract
- Pinch of salt
- 2 cups (230g) chopped nuts of choice (traditionally pistachios and walnuts; she used equal parts pistachios, walnuts and almonds)
Vanilla bean custard
- 1 cup (240ml) milk of choice
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (55g) granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp (28g) salted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 tsp (4g) vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1 tsp (2g) cinnamon
- Large pinch of salt
Honey buttermilk syrup (optional)
- 1/2 cup (113g) salted butter
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (168g) honey
- 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk (substitute: a splash of lemon juice mixed with 1/2 cup milk, but buttermilk gives the best results)
- Large pinch of salt
- 1 tsp (4g) vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1/2 tsp (3g) baking soda
Instructions
Prepare the pan
1. Grease a 9" round pan (preferably a cheesecake springform) or a 9" square baking pan with cooking spray. Line with a sheet of parchment paper tall enough to drape over the edges. Place onto a baking sheet and set aside.
Toast the croissant cubes (only if needed)
1. If your croissants weren't dried out overnight, start by lightly toasting them. Spread the cubes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 7-10 minutes, until *lightly* toasted. Be careful not to bake the croissant through; you just want a light toast on the outside. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Prepare the baklava filling and topping.
1. In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, honey, melted butter, cinnamon, vanilla, salt and chopped nuts. Mix until well combined.
2. Spread a little over half of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer. Reserve the rest for layering and filling the bread pudding later. Set aside.
Prepare the vanilla bean custard
1. In a large bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the milk, heavy cream, eggs, sugar, melted butter, vanilla, cinnamon and salt until well combined. Whisk well so there are no ribbons of egg. Set aside.
Assemble
1. Place 1/3 of the croissant cubes into the pan on top of the baklava layer. Press down to compress. Evenly distribute about 1/2 of the remaining baklava mixture over the croissant cubes. Add another 1/3 of the cubes on top, press down, and evenly distribute the last of the baklava mixture. Finish with the last 1/3 of the cubes, pressing down to compress. You should have 3 layers of croissant cubes and 2 layers of baklava filling (not counting the layer at the bottom).
2. Pour the vanilla bean custard all over the bread, making sure all the pieces are well soaked. With the back of a wooden spoon, gently press down on the bread to make sure there are no dry parts.
3. Cover the pan with foil and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. At this point, you can place it into the refrigerator covered overnight and bake it the next day, or bake it right away.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake, prepare honey buttermilk syrup, and serve.
1. Once ready, remove the foil from the top and bake at 350°F for 55-60 minutes, until the top is golden and set but the middle is still slightly wobbly when shaken. Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 10-15 minutes.
2. If you are planning on serving the bread pudding with the honey buttermilk syrup, prepare it towards the end of baking. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the butter, granulated sugar, honey, buttermilk and salt. Heat the mixture, stirring frequently, until it comes to a boil.
3. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Then remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and baking soda. The mixture will bubble and foam because of the reaction between the buttermilk and baking soda, so make sure your saucepan is tall enough to sustain that.
4. Whisk for 30 more seconds. At this point, you can either serve it straight from the saucepan or transfer to an airtight jar or container until ready to use.
5. Once ready, invert the bread pudding onto a serving plate. Slice and serve the bread pudding warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of the honey buttermilk syrup, and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.