
"This is as good as it gets!" Alan exclaimed as he took his fourth forkful of this creation, followed by a fifth. Picture a warm, creamy, puffy bread pudding, straight from the oven, that tastes like it was made in a praline confectionery shop in New Orleans. You start with a loaf of challah, cut it into thick slices, and pour over a rich, creamy custard. Marble it with a buttery brown-sugar praline crunch filled with pecans and flavored with cinnamon. The secret is to refrigerate the pudding for several hours or overnight before baking; it's the long soak that makes this bread pudding the best you've ever tasted!
› Drizzle the custard very slowly over the slices of challah, giving it time to soak into the bread. You're going to think there is no way the bread can absorb all of it; be patient—it will slowly soak it all up. Lightly press the bread down into the custard as you pour. Be sure to use all of the custard!
› When spreading the praline topping, be sure to push it down between the slices of bread.



