Pumpkin-Maple Bread Pudding

This Comes from Miss Sandra Lee herself. A great cookbook called Semi-Homemade cooking 3. This also works well with molasses.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 15 mins
• Serves: 10

Ingredients

•  butter-flavored  nonstick cooking spray
• 1  loaf  cinnamon-raisin bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1⁄2 cup  chopped pecans
• 1 1⁄4 cups milk
• 1⁄2 cup  cream
• 4  eggs
• 2  teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1⁄2 cup  grade a maple syrup
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
• 1 (4 1/2ounce) jar  brandied hard sauce
• 1  teaspoon  maple extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Lightly spray a 3-quart casserole dish with non-stick spray.
3. Toss together cubed raisin bread and pecans in casserole dish.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients, EXCEPT hard sauce and maple extract. Pour over bread cubes. Let soak for 1 hour, occasionally pressing bread down into custard.
5. Bake bread in heated oven for 60 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean.
6. Remove hard sauce lid and place jar in microwave-safe bowl. Fill bowl with water halfway up the side of the jar. Heat on High in microwave for 30-40 seconds. Remove and stir in maple extract. Drizzle over bread pudding.