By Amy Deline, The Gourmand Mom
Approximately 10 cups day-old French bread, cut into chunks
2 cups milk
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
For the icing
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Arrange the chunks of bread in a large baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, pumpkin puree, sugars, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, salt, nutmeg, and cloves until well-blended. Pour the mixture over the bread chunks. Press down on the mixture so the most of the bread is submerged. (I like to leave a thin layer of unsoaked bread at the top for a form crust.)
3. Bake for 45-50 minutes.
4. For the icing, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar until well blended. Spoon the mixture into a plastic baggy. Squeeze the baggy in your hands for a few seconds to soften the icing. Squeeze the mixture into one corner of the baggy, then twist the top of the baggy to hold the icing in place. Using scissors, clip a small bit of the corner, then drizzle the icing over the warm bread pudding. Serve warm.
