If you’re the type of person who, despite knowing that bread pudding has croissants and eggs in it, thinks that it is not a breakfast food, then we are likely kindred spirits. But if you’re also a person who when you encounter a recipe as exquisite as this, you reconsider your most basic values, we are also kindred spirits. Balance, right?

That’s what I strive for during the holidays–a mix of everyday healthier, more wholesome choices, speckled with pillowy soft bready-type sweets (my favourite kind), sparkly cocktails, and something with a salty crunch from time-to-time. (If you can’t indulge a little during times of celebration, then when can you?) This is truly one of the most luxurious desserts I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting. And no bones about it, this is definitely a dessert. That doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t beautifully punctuate a savoury brunch or boldly take centre stage of an indulgent breakfast if given the chance. One of its redeeming qualities is that it’s really more of a mix and assemble recipe, which minimizes your time in the kitchen. And I read online that you can make and freeze bread pudding, so guess what I’ll be doing for Christmas dinner dessert?

This particular recipe is very slightly adapted from the Duchess Bake Shop cookbook whose brick and mortar made Buzzfeed’s list of best bakeries in the world in 2015. And if that isn’t praise enough, Penguin Random House described the book as “perfect balance of high-end French pastries and home baking”. After spending a week perusing its pages, I have to agree. Self-taught baker and Duchess head honcho, Giselle Courteau, demystifies the baking process around what are considered traditionally complex pastries and desserts (macarons, laminated doughs like croissants and danishes, pâte à choux, and brioche, among other things).

In 2018, I’m aiming to bake more, particularly honing my craft with things like chewy sourdough, hearty, belly-filling muffins, delicate pies and tarts (really anything with a buttery crust), and extraordinary cookies. The Duchess Bakeshop hits many of these notes with recipes like rosemary, chocolate, fleur de sel cookies, nectarine and wild blueberry pie, a recipe for easy mixer pie dough, and the London tea-time muffins, which include culinary lavender (and I bet would pair perfectly with a cup of Earl Grey). But I also have a specific goal of increasing my level of comfort with laminated dough and Giselle, with that same goal in mind, has a 27 photo tutorial on making croissants alone(!!). This might be the year of sourdough croissants, people! It’s a pretty special baking book. The best news today is that we’re having another giveaway and one of you will be getting your very own copy to elevate your baking in the coming year. There will be an Instagram post up later this week where you can enter. In the meantime, comment on this post with one thing you’d like to learn to bake in 2018 for a chance to win.

Wishing you lots of warmth and coziness over the holiday season. I’m looking forward to baking up a storm with you in the new year. xo