Can I make this bread pudding ahead of time?

Since this bread pudding has nuts in it which are best when caramelized and crunchy, I don't recommend making it ahead of time. The nuts will become kind of soggy and lose their wonderful texture.

Can I make this bread pudding in a ceramic dish instead of a springform pan?

You can make this bread pudding in a dish and then serve out of it, too, instead of using a springform pan. If you do this, though, add the layer of nuts on top of the bread and custard (not on the bottom of the pan), and skip the first baking step.

Baklava Bread Pudding

Description

A soft and moist bread pudding with a caramelized baklava nut topping and hints of honey and cinnamon made in under an hour!

Ingredients

Baklava nut topping:

2 cups nuts of choice (280g), roughly chopped and toasted for 5-7 minutes at 350F - I like walnuts but you can mix walnuts and pistachios
1/4 cup honey (90g)
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar (100g)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (113g)
2 tbsp milk
½ tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Squeeze of lemon juice

Custard:

1 3/4 cup milk (420g)
1/2 cup heavy cream (120g)
2 tbsp butter (28g)
2 eggs
2 yolks
1/4 cup granulated sugar (65g)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Assembly:

12-16 King's Hawaiian Original Hawaiian Sweet rolls (or use similar size in white bread / brioche bread), ideally dried out for 1-2 hours

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Instructions

Baklava nut topping:

Toast the nuts if you haven't already
Pre-heat oven to 350F (conventional) and prep a 9" springform pan with parchment paper on the bottom
Add the honey, brown sugar, butter, milk and salt to a saucepan. Place on low flame and cook and stir until the butter has melted and the syrup starts to simmer and thicken up
Remove from heat and stir in the nuts, cinnamon and lemon juice. Taste and adjust if needed
Add the baklava nut mixture to the pan and spread it on the bottom evenly. Place in the pre-heated oven for just 5-7 minutes while you work on the custard. This step partially bakes the nut topping so it turns out more caramelized. Remove from the oven when done but keep the oven on at 350F

Custard:

Add all the ingredients to a saucepan. Place on the stove on medium low heat, and cook and stir constantly for a few minutes until the butter has melted and the ingredients have combined. No need to thicken the custard!

Assembly:

Cut the bread into ~1" cubes
Add the bread into the pan that has the partially baked baklava nut topping in it, and press it down
Pour over all the custard, making sure to get all the bread soaked
Place the pan back into the oven and bake for ~35-40 minutes until the bread pudding looks golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. The pudding should still be jiggly - do not overcook!
Remove from the oven and let the pudding cool in the pan for 20 minutes
Once cooled, carefully remove the edges of the springform pan and flip it onto your serving board. Carefully remove the pan and peel off the parchment paper, so the nut topping should now be on top
Serve the bread pudding while still warm, and enjoy!

Video Tutorial:

Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: Middle Eastern