Gluten Free Breakfast Bread Pudding

There’s no dessert quite as comforting as bread pudding.  Rich, hearty and full of decadent goodness – it’s truly a treat!  Thanks to my partnership with Little Northern Bakehouse, I’m inspired to turn my favorite dessert passion into a gluten free brunch-worthy dish.

Bread Pudding for breakfast?  Yes!

Gluten free and plant-based?  Yes!  Even better!

Breakfast bread pudding is a toned down version of the dessert that can be tweaked to be chock full of goodness to rev up your morning and start your day.  As I’m striving to add more plant-based foods and gluten free options to my diet, Little Northern Bakehouse offers me the perfect base for this delicious dish.

Little Northern Bakehouse breads are 100 percent plant-based, egg free, gluten free and Vegan. My favorite for breakfast or brunch time is the Little Northern Bakehouse Gluten Free Cinnamon Raisin Bread. I based my breakfast bread pudding around this flavor, but you can use any Little Northern Bakehouse bread variety you prefer.

A big misconception about bread pudding is that you have to use eggs and dairy. While there are many egg substitutes, the truth is you really don’t have to have eggs or egg substitutes to make a good breakfast bread pudding. You also do not need to use traditional dairy. There are so many plant-based options available, like coconut milk and almond milk, that are perfect substitutes.

You also can tone down the sweetness of bread pudding a lot.  I opted to use pure maple syrup as my main sweetener.  An ideal compliment for a breakfast dish.  If you prefer, you can completely omit the brown sugar from the topping, too, and just use chopped walnuts.

For a little extra goodness, try adding in a teaspoon of flax seeds, a handful of coconut flakes or sprinkle some dark chocolate chips on top after removing from the oven.  However you serve it, breakfast bread pudding is truly delicious and comforting way to start your day!

Gluten Free Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Breakfast Bread Pudding

10 slices Little Northern Bakehouse Gluten Free Cinnamon Raisin Bread
2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 cup chopped walnuts
2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar

In a large mixing bowl, add almond milk, maple syrup, and cinnamon. Whisk until fully combined.

Cut bread into small cubes. Add bread to almond milk mixture. Gently toss until bread is fully covered with liquid mix. Set aside for 1 hour to allow bread to soak up remaining liquid.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly coat 8×8 baking dish with cooking oil of choice (I use coconut oil.)

Pour bread pudding into baking dish.

In a small bowl, mix walnuts and brown sugar. Sprinkle walnut sugar mix on top of bread pudding.

Bake for 1 hour or until bread pudding is golden brown on top.

Remove from oven and serve.

Optionally, if you like a bit sweeter bread pudding – mix 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup with 2 Tablespoons of vanilla almond milk until thoroughly combined. Drizzle this sauce on top of your Breakfast Bread Pudding.