This delicious bread pudding combines all the flavors of cinnamon rolls with the soft and lush texture of bread pudding. It's worth every minute it takes to make!
Bake the cinnamon rolls as instructed on the package (recipe if making homemade), but bake them about 5 minutes longer. I usually bake them for the stated time and then flip them over and bake another 5 minutes.
After baking, cool the cinnamon rolls and break into pieces.
Custard
In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the half and half or whole milk, brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and eggs. Whisk until incorporated.
Mix the cinnamon with the cream and add to the mixture. Whisk until blended. Mixing the cinnamon with the cream prevents the cinnamon from clumping.
A blender works great for making the custard, too. Simply add all the ingredients except the heavy cream and blend until combined. Add the cream and pulse until incorporated.
Assembling the Bread Pudding
Place the broken cinnamon rolls into a 2.5-3 quart baking dish and pour the custard over top. Gently press down so the rolls are sumberged.
Press plastic wrap onto the top of the custard and then secure the sides. This will hold the rolls under the custard during refrigeration.
Refrigerate for 8 hours or ovenight.
Baking the Bread Pudding
Remove the plastic wrap and cover with foil or a silicone cover.
Place the baking dish into another larger dish or a sheet tray. Place both into the oven on the middle rack. Pour water into the second baking dish or tray to create a water bath. Ideally, the water will come ¾ up the sides of the bread pudding, but with a sheet tray that I used it only came up about ¼ and it worked fine.
Bake at 325℉ until the internal temperature reaches about 145℉/63℃. This can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 1:30 minutes. If you are skipping the cinnamon sugar topping, then continue to bake until the internal temperature reaches 170℉/76℃.
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
Melt the ¼ cup butter and mix in the brown sugar and cinnamon. Spoon over the top of the bread pudding, leaving areas of the bread exposed.
Return the pan to the water bath and continue to bake another 20-30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 170℉/76℃. NOTE: Many recipes say to take it out at 160℉/71℃, but I found this was a little underdone for me.
Remove the baking pan from the water bath and let cool on a cooling rack.
Cream Cheese Icing
Using an electric hand mixer, mix together the cream cheese and cream in a medium size mixing bowl until all the lumps are gone. Add 1-2 Tablespoons of powdered sugar and mix. You can add more powdered sugar if you want your icing thicker.
When the bread pudding has cooled, spread the icing over the top or use a piping bag/plastic bag with the tip cut off to make a decoration.
Extra Sauce
You will have plenty of leftover icing if you drizzle it on with a piping bag, so to make a sauce to serve alongside your bread pudding add a few tablespoons of cream and stir into the icing until it's the desired consistency.