Norma’s Bread Pudding

When I was little and we lived in Pensacola, Florida my mom and I would visit Normas Cafe for special occasions. Fifteen years later and we still talk about Normas Bread Pudding! Normas Bread Pudding is like nothing you have ever had before, words can not even describe how yummy it is. I was and still am a very picky eater, so for me to eat the Bread Pudding must mean it was delicious! I made a few small adjustments to the recipe the largest being instead of using Amaretto Liqueur I used Amaretto Coffee Creamer, I looked everywhere for Amaretto and could not find it so I decided to go with the coffee creamer. As a side note I did buy the french bread to mix in with the homemade French bread I had in the freezer. Ever since the beginning of the year I have been making all of our bread homemade. Once you have tasted homemade bread out of the oven it is hard to go back to the store bought! I love being able to control what is going in the bread instead of buying bread that you can not even pronounce the ingredients! Without any further adieu below is my take on Normas Bread Pudding.

Cubed bread

Whisking together the sugar, milk, and water.

The bread soaking up the egg mixture.

Bread Pudding right out of the oven.

Whisking the sauce.

Ingredients 

1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups milk
2 cups water
6 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup butter, melted
4 cups French bread, cubed
Sauce

1/4 cup light brown sugar

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1 dash ground cinnamon

1 egg

1 tablespoon butter, melted

3/4 cup International Delight Amaretto

2 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Heavy Cream if needed

Directions
Combine the sugar, milk and water in a bowl and mix well. Add the eggs, salt, vanilla, coconut and 1/4 cup melted butter and mix well. Stir in the bread cubes. Let stand until the liquid is absorbed. Spoon into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the pudding rises like a souffle and springs back when touched. For the sauce: whisk light brown sugar, the flour, cinnamon, egg, melted butter, and creamer together in a heavy saucepan until smooth. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and the sauce coats the back of a spoon, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Pour sauce over warm bread pudding, or serve on the side in a bowl. If sauce is to thick whisk in cream before you add the vanilla.