Banana Bread Pudding Recipe

Butter dish

Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Lightly butter a 9x9-inch (or similar 8–9 cup) baking dish with the 10 g unsalted butter.

Tear the brioche or challah into roughly 1-inch pieces and spread half of them evenly in the prepared dish. Scatter half of the sliced bananas over the bread, then layer the remaining bread pieces and top with the remaining banana slices so fruit is distributed throughout.

Warm dairy

In a medium saucepan, combine the whole milk, heavy cream and 100 g granulated sugar. Warm over medium heat until just steaming and the sugar is dissolved (do not boil), about 5 minutes.

Temper eggs

In a medium bowl, whisk together the 3 whole eggs, 2 yolks and a pinch of kosher salt until smooth. Slowly pour about 100 ml of the warm milk mixture into the eggs in a thin steady stream while whisking constantly to temper the eggs.

Combine custard

Return the tempered egg mixture to the saucepan with the remaining milk mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of the spoon (about 75–80°C / 170–176°F). Do not let it boil. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tsp vanilla extract. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Soak bread

Pour the warm custard evenly over the bread and banana layers, pressing gently to ensure the bread soaks up the custard. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to overnight) to allow the bread to fully absorb the custard.

Remove the pudding from the refrigerator while the oven preheats to 175°C (350°F). Uncover and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Place the baking dish in the center of the oven and bake until the top is puffed, golden and the center is set (a knife inserted should come out mostly clean), about 35–45 minutes depending on depth. If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.

When done, remove from oven and let rest for 10–15 minutes; the pudding will settle and finish setting.

Cook sugar

While the pudding rests, make the caramel. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine 150 g granulated sugar and 30 ml water. Cook over medium heat without stirring until the sugar dissolves and the mixture turns an amber color (tilt the pan or swirl gently; if crystals form at the edge, brush them down with a wet pastry brush). This takes about 8–12 minutes.

Finish caramel

As soon as the sugar reaches a deep amber color, remove from heat and carefully whisk in 30 g unsalted butter until melted. Slowly and carefully add 90 ml warm heavy cream while whisking (mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir until smooth, then whisk in 1 tsp sea salt. Let the caramel cool for 3–5 minutes to thicken slightly.

To serve, spoon warm banana bread pudding onto plates. Place one scoop of vanilla ice cream alongside or on top of each portion (use the 6 scoops). Drizzle each serving with 2–3 tablespoons of the warm salted caramel sauce. Dust lightly with confectioners' sugar if desired.

Leftovers: cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat individual portions in a 180°C (350°F) oven for 10–12 minutes or microwave gently until warm; add fresh ice cream and reheat caramel slightly if needed.