Spring break was pretty epic for the Littles. We set sail on a Disney Cruise and spent a few days in the parks at Disney World. It was incredible! And much needed. When you run an “always on” business like a food blog, you need to always prioritize taking some time away from it all. It’s important to unplug and just relax.

Admittedly, it’s a challenge when you’ve got some control freak tendencies like I have, but the cruise was a great option because the limited (and expensive) WiFi forces you to disconnect.

Now, Disney is a pretty great place for recipe inspiration, so even though I was disconnected, my brain was still running wild with ideas.

Try a bite! (Stacey Little)

The pudding makes a beautiful presentation. (Stacey Little)

Salted Caramel Sauce is the perfect topping for the pudding. (Stacey Little)

One night at dinner, we had this great bread pudding. Honestly, I’m not a huge bread pudding fan, but this stuff was pretty amazing. As we were devouring it, Heather looked over and said, “Wonder if you could do a Hummingbird Bread Pudding?  You know … all the flavors of Hummingbird Cake, but in a bread pudding.”

I immediately proclaimed the idea perfection and started working on the recipe the minute I got back in the test kitchen.

And y’all, this is pretty dang amazing. OK. Really dang amazing!

Classic bread pudding is given a twist with the addition of pineapple and bananas. And taking a cue from my Best Bread Pudding, I topped this one with brown sugar but added in chopped pecans.  And a healthy drizzle of my super easy Salted Caramel Sauce just puts it over the top.

Want it even more extreme? Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. That’s seriously treating yourself!

Y’all are going to love this. It’s quick and easy and so delicious. And I’d seriously put that Salted Caramel Sauce on just about anything. Y’all enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 (14-ounce) loaf French bread (not baguette) cut into 1-inch cubes (about 12 cups cut)
• 5 large eggs
• 4 cups whole milk
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 bananas, diced
• 1 (8-ounce) can pineapple tidbits, drained
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

For the salted caramel sauce

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, whole milk, white sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Place the cubed bread in a large bowl and pour the egg and milk mixture over the bread. Allow to rest for 10 minutes, stirring once.
• Add the diced banana and drained pineapple tidbits to the bread mixture and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle brown sugar and pecans over the top and drizzle with the melted butter.
• Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the the center is set. You might see liquid in the middle when you check the pudding with a knife, but it should be clear, not milky.
• Make the caramel sauce by combining the butter, brown sugar, whipping cream and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat.  Bring to a boil and cook for about 3 minutes.
• Serve the bread pudding warm with the caramel sauce drizzled over it. It’s also great with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. If the sauce gets too thick, just warm it to thin it out.