Last week, Smitten Kitchen posted a recipe for Pumpkin Bread Pudding. Oh my. Bread and pumpkin, two of my favorite things! However, the recipe called for a day old baguette, and around these parts there are two things that never make it to day old: champagne and baguette. Ahem. No, good bread and any champagne gets scarfed down quickly, usually followed by someone proffering up an empty cup or bowl with baleful eyes, “Please sir, can I have some more?!” Day old baguette… who are we kidding?

What we do have that’s stale is a loaf of flax-seed, wheat-free bread that we all thought sounded like a responsible choice when we were standing in the market surveying our options. It was a good plan at the time. We didn’t know our future selves would turn up our noses and then scrounge around for something different leaving the loaf to dry out. So, it sat. This loaf of flaxy, seedy, lacking in taste wheat, bread—in our refrigerator for how long, I don’t rightly know. Weeks? Probably. Certainly that counts as day old right? It’s day old plus. That makes it better.

I decided to substitute the bread. And we all loved it so much that we scarfed it down like it was warm crusty baguette… and of course, somebody just had to go and ask, “Please, Mom, can I have some more?” Yes! And then someone else had to ask, “HOW many tablespoons of butter are in this? Six?? ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME??” Ok, that last question was a bit overkill; clearly, I was being handed a mandate. More, but less. I had a new mission.

So, off I went. To refine and reduce and remake a yummy bread pudding without all the fat. A good for you bread pudding. A bread pudding to revolutionize the world. A cure for all that ails you. Seriously, sometimes I buy my own press.

Under the cut is what I came up with… it’s so far from the original that I feel perfectly fine calling this my own recipe. It’s going on the list with baguettes and champagne: never, ever, day old.

Never Ever Day Old Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Preheat oven 350.

3 T butter
5 cups dry Flax seed bread (or any healthy whole wheaty thing. Milton’s works great!)cut into 2″ squares.
1 cup nonfat milk
1/4 cup half/half
3/4 cup of egg substitute
2t pumpkin pie spice mix
2T Bourbon
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup brown sugar

In a 350 oven, melt 3T of butter in an 8×8 glass pan. I do this while the oven is heating up. While butter is melting, mix all the other ingredients in a batter bowl that will allow you to pour. If you don’t use alcohol, vanilla will work, or you can just omit. Once the butter has melted, toss the bread in the butter mixture in the pan. Now, pour the egg/milk mix slowly over the bread crumbs. You should be able to cover and coat all the bread pieces, but if not, use a fork to toss.

Bake for 40-45 minutes.

Inhale.