This Cinnamon-Streusel Bread Pudding will steal the scene at your next brunch

A much-loved dessert and brunch staple, bread pudding couldn't be easier to make — and it's economical too. This one is super moist, with a generous amount of cinnamon, and it benefits from the extra texture and flavour of a crunchy streusel topping. 

Unlike most recipes, you start it in a cold oven so the pudding bakes gently before turning golden brown. And you can up the ante by serving it with ice cream!

Ingredients

Bread Pudding:

• ½ loaf (about 170 g or 3 to 4 cups) stale baguette, cubed or torn into small pieces by hand or with a couple of pulses in a food processor
• 2 cups milk
• ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup (198 g) sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, beaten

Topping:

• ¼ cup (36 g) flour
• 2 tbsp (25 g) brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 2 tbsp (29 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled and cut into small cubes
• ¼ cup (29 g) chopped pecans
• Icing sugar, for garnish

Preparation

Grease an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with butter or baking spray. 

In a large bowl, combine bread, milk, butter, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and eggs. It will be runny, but don’t worry — it will firm up.

Pour batter into the prepared baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Using your fingers, incorporate the butter until the mixture is uniform with a crumbly texture. Add pecans and give it a toss.

Sprinkle the streusel evenly on top of the pudding. Place the dish on the middle rack in a cold oven, then set it to 350 F and bake until the top of the pudding is browned and the kitchen smells like heaven, about 1 hour. 

Let the bread pudding cool slightly, then dust with icing sugar. Cut it into large squares and serve with a scoop of ice cream if desired.

Serves 6 to 8