Guava Caramel Bread Pudding (Printer-friendly)

Creamy custard-soaked bread layered with tropical guava, sweet caramel, and crunchy pecans for a comforting fusion dessert.

# What You Need:

→ Bread & Dairy

01 - 8 cups day-old brioche or challah, cubed
02 - 2 cups whole milk
03 - 1 cup heavy cream
04 - 4 large eggs
05 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
06 - 2 tsp vanilla extract
07 - 1/4 tsp salt

→ Guava & Caramel

08 - 1 cup guava paste, cut into small cubes
09 - 1/2 cup caramel sauce, plus extra for drizzling

→ Nuts

10 - 3/4 cup chopped pecans

→ Butter

11 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together milk, cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt until well blended.
03 - Add cubed bread to the custard mixture. Gently stir to coat all pieces and let soak for 10 minutes.
04 - Fold in the guava paste cubes and half of the chopped pecans into the bread mixture.
05 - Pour half of the soaked bread mixture into the prepared baking dish. Drizzle with half the caramel sauce. Add remaining bread mixture and drizzle with remaining caramel sauce.
06 - Sprinkle remaining pecans over the top and drizzle melted butter over the surface.
07 - Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and set in the center. If top browns too quickly, tent with aluminum foil.
08 - Let cool slightly before serving. Drizzle with extra caramel if desired.

# Top Tips:

01 -
  • It transforms day-old bread into pure comfort without requiring fancy technique or expensive ingredients.
  • The guava and caramel combination sounds daring but tastes like it was always meant to be together.
  • One pan, minimal cleanup, and it feeds a crowd—perfect for when you want to impress without stress.
02 -
  • The guava paste will sink a bit during baking, which is fine—it creates pockets of concentrated flavor throughout instead of staying at the top.
  • Day-old bread is non-negotiable; fresh bread will turn to mush and the pudding will be gluey instead of custardy.
  • Don't skip the 10-minute soak time—it's the difference between bread that's tender and bread that's soggy.
03 -
  • Toast your pecans briefly in a dry pan before using—it wakes up their flavor and makes them taste twice as nutty and intentional.
  • If your caramel sauce is very thick, thin it slightly with a tablespoon of heavy cream so it distributes evenly through the layers instead of sitting in clumps.
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