Banana Bread Pudding Recipe

Prepare bread and bananas

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 9x9-inch or similar baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Place cubed bread in a large mixing bowl. Mash bananas until mostly smooth with a few small chunks and set aside.

Make custard

In a separate bowl, whisk together whole milk, heavy cream, eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, salt, and the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter until combined and slightly frothy.

Combine and soak

Pour the custard mixture over the bread cubes and add the mashed bananas. Gently press down the bread so it absorbs the custard. Let sit 15 minutes at room temperature, stirring once or twice to ensure even soaking.

Bake

Once soaked, transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish if not already in it. Dot the top with a few small pieces of the remaining melted butter. Bake in the preheated oven for 35–40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted near the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs. If the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.

Rest

Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 minutes; the pudding will continue to set. Keep warm if serving immediately.

While bread pudding bakes, heat a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add pecans, sugar, butter, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until sugar melts and coats the pecans and they become glossy, about 3–4 minutes. Spread candied pecans on parchment or a silicone mat to cool and separate. Break into bite-sized pieces once cooled.

Make caramel: In a small heavy saucepan, combine sugar and water and bring to a simmer over medium heat without stirring (swirl pan gently if needed). Cook until the mixture turns an amber color, about 5–7 minutes — watch closely to prevent burning. Remove from heat and carefully whisk in cold butter (it will sputter) until incorporated.

Finish caramel: Slowly whisk in the warmed heavy cream until smooth. Return to very low heat briefly if needed to combine. Stir in brandy and a pinch of salt. Taste and adjust salt or brandy; set aside and keep warm. (If you prefer no alcohol, substitute with an equal amount of warm additional cream or a tablespoon of vanilla.)

Portion: Spoon warm banana bread pudding into bowls or onto plates. Top each serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Finish: Drizzle generous amounts of warm brandy caramel over the pudding and ice cream. Scatter candied pecans on top and add optional fresh banana slices. Serve immediately so the ice cream melts slightly into the warm pudding.