Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding

Have you ever found yourself stuck with leftover cinnamon rolls that, let’s face it, just don’t make great leftovers? They always end up getting hard and stale within a day or two. And if I’m going to take the time to make homemade cinnamon rolls, I certainly can’t bring myself to toss the extras in the bin. So, I thought to myself…what does stale bread like? MILK. You know, Thanksgiving stuffing….bread pudding….*wink*

For this recipe I keep the “custard” vegan and add some orange zest to brighten it all up. Be sure to read the notes below for some tips and tricks, and above all else, enjoy! Your house will smell simply divine while this is baking and for hours afterward.

Serves 8

Ingredients

6-8 cups stale cinnamon rolls, diced into large bite-size pieces*

1 1/2 cups milk, I use homemade hemp milk**

4 chia eggs, (4 tbsp ground chia seeds mixed with 1 cup of water, let sit a few minutes to thicken)***

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup maple syrup, plus more for brushing (use more or less depending on preferred sweetness)

1/4 tsp salt

zest of 1 orange

Instructions:

Grease a 9x11 baking dish. Evenly spread the diced cinnamon rolls throughout the dish. Whisk the milk, chia eggs, vanilla, maple syrup, salt, and orange zest to create your vegan custard. Pour over the cinnamon rolls until they are about 3/4 submerged, you may not need all of the custard mixture. Cover loosely with foil so steam can escape. Let rest on the counter for half an hour.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. After the pudding as sat for a half hour, bake covered for 50 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking uncovered for another 25-30 minutes until the top is dark golden and crisp. It will all be spongey when tapped, but should spring back when you push on it. Let it rest on a cooling rack for a minimum of 30 minutes. While it rests, brush the top with a tablespoon of maple syrup for a shiny top.

Serve warm with vanilla or cinnamon ice cream. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to three days.

Notes:

*This calls for 6-8 cups so that you can use whatever you have left, whether it be more or less. You will be able to adjust the amount of custard needed as mentioned later in the recipe.

*I use iced rolls, so if yours are frosted you may want to scrape off the frosting.

**I enjoy using homemade hemp milk in baking recipes. It’s free of the stabilizers found in store-bought plant milks, plus its full of great protein and fat thanks to the nutrient profile of hemp seeds and it isn’t strained like nut milks. You can make it on the spot for this recipe in minutes by blending up 1 1/2 cups of water with 1/4 cup of hemp seeds. After blending, simply add the rest of the custard ingredients into the hemp milk and blend to combine. (I use a Vitamix and cannot speak for how other blenders work here, but I think most high-powered blenders will work nicely.)

***I have not used flax eggs in this, but they will work. They will affect the flavor since flax seeds are not flavorless, which is why I love using chia seeds when baking.