Bourbon Caramel Bread Pudding

Method

1. Heat the oven to 300°F. Spread the bread cubes on a sheet pan and toast 15 to 20 minutes, until dry and barely colored at the edges, then cool.
2. Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and add the bread. Whisk the eggs, custard sugar, milk, cream, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and kosher salt until the sugar dissolves, pour it over the bread and press the cubes down to soak.
3. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, or overnight, pressing the cubes under the custard once.
4. Heat the oven to 350°F, sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the pudding and bake uncovered 50 to 55 minutes, until puffed and deep golden and the center reads 160°F.
5. While it bakes, boil the caramel sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat without stirring, swirling the pan, 6 to 8 minutes, until deep amber. Off the heat and away from any open flame, whisk in the warm cream (it will bubble hard), then the butter, bourbon and caramel salt, and simmer 2 minutes over low.
6. Rest the pudding 15 minutes, then spoon it into bowls and pour the warm caramel over. The sauce keeps a week in the fridge, so rewarm it gently. Refrigerate leftover pudding up to 4 days and reheat to 165°F.

Food safety. Bake the pudding until the center reaches 160°F because it contains a raw egg custard.