Bread Pudding with Warm Banana-Maple Sauce

This delicious do-ahead dish gets assembled the day before the brunch and baked the following morning. Or, to serve bread pudding the same day, let stand about 30 minutes before baking to allow egg mixture to be absorbed.

SERVINGS
12

COOK TIME
45

TOTAL TIME
60

INGREDIENTS
1 loaf unsliced rich egg bread, such as challah (about 1 pound), cut into 1-inch-thick slices
3 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 large eggs
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons of margarine or butter
6 medium firm bananas, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices
One 8-ounce bottle maple syrup

PREPARATION
1. Grease shallow 3 1/2- to 4-quart ceramic casserole or 13" by 9" glass baking dish. Arrange bread slices, overlapping slightly, in dish.

2. In medium bowl, with wire whisk or fork, beat milk, salt, eggs, and 1/4 cup sugar until well mixed. Slowly pour egg mixture over bread slices; prick bread slices with fork and press slices down to absorb egg mixture. Spoon any egg mixture that bread has not absorbed back over bread slices.

3. In cup, mix cinnamon with 1 tablespoon sugar; sprinkle over top of bread pudding and dot with 2 tablespoons margarine or butter. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

4. To bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Uncover and bake bread pudding 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

5. Meanwhile, prepare banana sauce: In nonstick 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons margarine or butter. Add banana slices and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Pour maple syrup over bananas; heat to boiling. Boil 2 to 3 minutes until mixture thickens slightly. Serve warm sauce in bowl with bread pudding.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
(based on individual servings)
Calories: 365
Total Fat: 13 g
Saturated Fat: 4 g
Cholesterol: 205 mg
Sodium: 410 mg
Carbohydrates: 52 g
Fiber: g
Protein: 11 g

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