Almond Pretzel Bread Pudding | #ProgressiveEats

Welcome to this month's edition of Progressive Eats, which I am very happy to be hosting this month! Since today just so happens to be National Pretzel Day, I invited everybody to share a recipe featuring pretzels as an ingredient, a recipe for pretzels (or using pretzel dough), or a condiment that went perfectly with pretzels—and boy did they deliver!

My love for pretzels has never been a secret, I've shared everything from regular homemade soft pretzels and pretzel sticks to homemade pretzel dogs to cinnamon-sugar pretzels, pretzel bites to pretzel pockets, and even pretzel crackers and pretzel croissants! Initially I planned on trying my hand at homemade pretzel rods to share today, but time got away from me and I had to push that endeavor back...but only temporarily.

Orange-scented Bread Pudding with Hard Sauce for Two

I would have brought the entirety of Eataly home with from NYC if I could have fit in on the plane. That includes the baristas. It's funny how you can become so accustomed to something in such a short period of time. I would happily start every day with a Doppio Macchiato and a croissant.

But, since bringing Eataly home wasn't an option, I settled for an Eataly canvas bag with two loaves of gorgeous, freshly baked loaves of bread tucked inside. One loaf was Prosciutto and Provolone, the other Rustic Raisin. And yes, it made me unreasonably happy to cut thick slices from the loaf, sending a spray of crust onto the counter.

The thing is, each time I cut into that loaf of raisin bread, the urge to make bread pudding hit me. And I don't really crave bread pudding often. Okay, I don't think I've ever gotten the craving for it before. But that rustic loaf just wanted to be transformed.