Sweet Potato Bread Pudding

I don't think I've ever eaten as much food over a 4 day period as I did this Thanksgiving.  We had huge dinners with both sides of my family, sandwiching a couple of delicious restaurant meals.  I feel ready for hibernation - I do not need to eat another thing for the next month!



One dish I just had to make was this sweet potato bread pudding.  We never grew up having sweet potato casserole, but I love it.  I mean, what's not to love?  Sweet potatoes. Marshmallows.  YUM.  I'd take that over tzimmes any day!



My cousin, who is 8, is a fairly picky eater.  He's usually willing to try new things, but I've seen him not like a lot more things than he likes.  When he tried this bread pudding, he actually sought me out to tell me how much he liked it.  That was a major compliment coming from him!  His sister loved it as well, but I'm not sure she didn't just pick the marshmallows off the top.



This recipe is dessert, but it really isn't that bad for you.  I think you can totally justify it as a starch, rather than a sweet.  We used unsweetened almond milk in our version because my grandfather is allergic to dairy, and I think it made it better! It added a new dimension of flavor to the dish in addition to making it lactose-intolerant friendly.



The challah we used is from one of my favorite places in the world - Rein's Deli - that we picked up on our way back to New Hampshire from Connecticut.  Normally, I would probably make my own bread, but I know I can trust bread from Rein's.  We served it alongside my Lobster Mac and Cheese.  It was quite the indulgent evening.  We also had my grandmother's famous pastrami that my brother craves all year.  It was a pretty fantastic meal all-around.  I may have been full - but I think it was well worth it!



Sweet Potato Bread Pudding
adapted from Baking Bites

Ingredients
2-3 medium-sized sweet potatoes
2 2/3 cups unsweetened almond milk (cow's milk is ok)
4 large eggs, lightly whisked
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
9-10 cups cubed challah
4 cups mini marshmallows

Instructions
1. Wrap the sweet potatoes in foil and roast in a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until soft enough to pierce with a fork.  Remove the potatoes from the oven and lower the temperature to 350.
2. Remove the skins and puree in a large bowl with an immersion blender (or in a food processor).  Whisk in the almond milk, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
3.  Add the bread to a separate large bowl and pour the potato mixture over it.  You could add the bread into the original bowl, but it's really difficult to stir and your bread will get all broken up.  Fold to coat all of the bread and let it sit for 20 minutes so the bread can soak up the liquid.
4. Grease a 9x13 baking dish, then transfer the bread into it.  Bake in the 350 degree oven for 40 minutes, or until the pudding is set and springs back when lightly pressed.
5. Take the dish out of the oven and carefully sprinkle the top with mini marshmallows. Place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes (WATCH CAREFULLY, marshmallows burn easily!) until the marshmallows puff up and turn brown.
6. Let cool for 15 minutes, then serve.