My 'Ohana Bread Pudding Addiction ... And a recipe

You all already know how much I LOVE to eat at Disney...  in fact, I probably eat a little too much while I'm there.  Recently, I stalked the posts of buddy and fellow Disney Moms Panelist, Kirsten (@CanuckDisneyMom) as she brought one of my favorite desserts, 'Ohana Bread Pudding, into her home kitchen with a fun and simple recipe.

For those of you unfamiliar with 'Ohana, it it is a Pacific Island-themed table service restaurant located amidst the beauty of Disney World's Polynesian Resort.  At 'Ohana, your meal is served all you can eat "Family-Style" and consists of Coriander Chicken Wings, Asian Noodles, Potstickers, Fire Roasted Meats served from the skewer and more.  And how could I forget, the Bread Pudding al a mode topped with Bananas Foster sauce for dessert. I highly recommend this dining experience and if you time your reservation right, you can watch the Magic Kingdom's nightly fireworks show, Wishes right from your table!  'Ohana is a popular dining destination so be sure to make advanced reservations up to 180 days in advance online or by calling (407)WDW-DINE.

Hearing about this incredibly sumptuous dessert just made my mouth water, but also made me miss Walt Disney World.  From that moment on, I developed this insatiable craving for that sweet, gooey, moist, delicious, banana-ey, divine, heavenly 'Ohana Bread Pudding, and there was only one way to satisfy that hunger:

Yes... I made it at home and had a blast with Kirsten from thousands of miles away as we simultaneously devoured our tasty bread pudding together while chatting on Facebook!  I'm not sure what I enjoyed more...actually eating the bread pudding...or joking with Kirsten as we taunted online friends with our comments and photos.

So, as promised, here's the recipe... 

Thanks to Kirsten for tracking it down and posting it!  

Please leave me a comment below letting me know if you have made or plan to make 'Ohana Bread Pudding at home!  I would also love to see pictures of how yours turns out, so please post them to the Disney Go To Girl Facebook Page!

Ingredients

• 5 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 3 cups of whole milk 
• 1 loaf challah bread or egg-style bread (large enough to fill 10 cups)
• 1/2 cup of crushed, canned pineapple
• 1/4 cup of sweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup of raisins (optional)
• 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
• 1/2 gallon of vanilla bean ice cream
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• 
  
• Sauce:
• 1 cup of dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup each: of corn syrup and unsalted butter
• 1 cup of heavy cream
• 1 cup of dark or spiced rum
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 3 small or 2 large bananas cut into coins

Directions

1.     Pre-heat the oven to 350.

2.     In large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, salt, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

3.     Cut the bread into 1/2-inch cubes.

4.     Add the bread, pineapple, coconut, and raisins to the egg-and-milk mixture.

5.     Grease a large baking dish with butter.

6.     Add the bread custard mix to the greased baking dish and bake 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Let stand 5 minutes.

7.     In a sauce pan, combine the dark brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and half of the heavy cream. Using high heat; bring it to a rolling boil.

8.     Allow the mixture to boil 10 minutes and add remaining heavy cream. Let it boil an additional minute.

9.     Now add the rum and vanilla extract. Carefully flambe pan using a long stemmed lighter. Let boil until the flame goes out. Reduce to a simmer and stir with a high heat spatula. Peel and slice the bananas; add them to the caramel sauce. Remove the caramel from the heat and set aside.

10.   Place a scoop of ice cream on top of each portion of bread pudding. Top with bananas Foster sauce.

Recipe note: Make the sauce as the bread pudding is baking to have both hot and ready to serve at the same time.  The recipe also works great without the rum!