Sweet Potato Bread Pudding

This Sweet Potato Bread Pudding is homey and comforting. Topped with crunchy pecans and spiked with spiced rum, it will keep you warm and happy all winter long.

As a witch in the 21st century, there's often a tension between being a modern human and wanting to connect to more ancient ways of being. I'm a busy person with many jobs, and the last thing I need is to make my life more complicated. On the other hand, I know that my choices affect the beautiful Earth that supports me and connects me to all of life. It's so easy to get overwhelmed and take the easy way out, even though it's not great for the environment. I'm totally guilty of this.

So how can I change my energy around this? How can I transmute taking care of the Earth into something that feels a little bit easier. How can I take the pressure off so that I don't get caught up in the story of "if it's not perfect, there's no point in doing it at all?" Where can I make smart environmental choices feel joyful rather than burdensome? This is everyday alchemy, my friends.

What makes this Sweet Potato Bread Pudding so awesome?

One delicious way you can help reduce food waste is by making Sweet Potato Bread Pudding. If you've made a loaf of challah that you can't finish, or you have some brioche that's going stale, this is the recipe for you. If you bought too many sweet potatoes and you want to use some up before they start to sprout, this is the recipe for you. And of course, if you want an insanely delicious and comforting dessert, this is obviously the recipe for you.

With subtle autumn flavors, just enough sweetness, and a gorgeous mix of textures, this bread pudding is awesome all on its own. You could also make a spiced rum or cinnamon buttermilk glaze. Or maybe you serve it warm with a scoop of ice cream or simply drizzle some Irish creme liqueur over the top. The options are limitless and all equally awesome.

Magical Properties of Pecans

Pecans are associated with wealth and financial security and can be used in spells to help you keep your job. Add pecans to spells for prosperity. Grind the shells into powder and scatter that around your home or business to attract abundance. Turn the cracking of pecans into a ritual by speaking words of gratitude or intention with every shell you crack. (Source: Green Witch Living)

For more on the magical properties of the ingredients in this recipe, be sure to check out my Kitchen Magick page.

Ingredients

Here's everything you'll need to make this recipe. All the details are in the recipe card below.

• Sweet potato - roasted or boiled, then mashed
• Butter - unsalted
• Salt
• Bread - challah or brioche is most delicious here as it has a bit of sweetness of its own and will create a tender bread pudding
• Eggs - yolks only (use your egg whites in these awesome almond flour cookies)
• Cream - heavy or double cream is great, whipping cream also works
• Brown sugar
• Honey
• Spiced Rum - you could substitute Bourbon or another spirit if you prefer
• Vanilla extract
• Cinnamon
• Pecans - I just sprinkle these on the top because I don't care for them, but if everyone you know loves them, bake them right into the bread pudding

Tips for making Sweet Potato Bread Pudding

This dessert is so easy. I like to roast my sweet potatoes ahead of time. You can use the mashed flesh for all sorts of things, even Sweet Potato Pancakes. You'll also want your bread to be a bit stale, so I always start by tearing it into chunks and spreading it out on a baking sheet to dry out a bit. You could place your bread chunks in a very low oven while you make your custard to help with this process.

Mash your sweet potatoes with some butter (melt the butter if your sweet potato flesh is cold). Whisk your egg yolks in a big bowl and set aside. Mix together everything else but the pecans in a small saucepan and heat it gently until it just starts to bubble. Slowly drizzle this into your egg yolks, whisking all the while to avoid scrambled eggs. Then stir in the sweet potato mixture. You won't get it perfectly smooth. It's fine.

Fill a square baking dish with your bread pieces and pour over the custard mixture. Let it sit and soak up that eggy goodness while you preheat your oven. Then bake it until it's golden brown with some lovely crunchy bits on top. It will still be squidgy underneath. This contrast is what makes bread pudding so awesome. Scatter over some chopped pecans for crunch and serve warm.

Don't let anything this delicious go to waste. Bake up some Sweet Potato Bread Pudding this weekend. It's gonna be awesome.

Looking for more awesome bread pudding recipes? Try this Chocolate Kahlua Bread Pudding or some Maple Panettone Bread Pudding.

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Recipe slightly adapted from Southern Living.