Zucchini bread will probably fall apart and get mushy in bread pudding. It'll be a lot better if you put something airy and glutinous with it. Best bet would be a braided challah because of the long strands and airy crumb. Don't cut the challah too small--let it give some structure and something for the zucchini bread to cling to. And, whatever you do, don't stir it a lot or you'll have zucchini bread soup. You can soak the challah in the custard, but your best bet, for your star ingredient, would be to fill up your pan with the breads, as densely as you can, so the zucchini bread doesn't dissolve, pour on the custard/flavoring mix, and add as much bread as you can. You can press at this point. Just don't squash it too hard. A plastic plate to keep the bread down would be better than a real weight. For the custard, you're right to cut the sugar. If you want it to be a sweet dessert maybe add a little, but it shouldn't require it to be good, especially if you're planning a hard sauce. You could also add some dried fruit to add sweetness, instead. Soak it in the custard for an hour before you mix with the bread. Or you could macerate the dried fruit in liqueur and cook off the alcohol. I haven't tried this, but it occurs to me that an alternative to a traditional bread pudding that might work is to slice the zucchini bread maybe half the height of the pan, dry the slices, then line the pan in two layers of slices and pour the custard over. Let the custard settle and soak in and add more to fill the pan, and maybe another round if it needs it. That would be a lot less stirring and squishing, and the large pieces would have more integrity. More like making a French toast pie. If you want to add fruit, nuts, etc., do it between the layers of bread. Good luck!

How about something like this? No egg whites, so it seems to have more of a "custardy" texture, and you can replace some or all of the white sugar with your Turbinado sugar and add the PP Spice to taste. 3 cups whole milk 1/3 cup small-pearl tapioca (not instant) 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved 1/8 teaspoon fine salt INSTRUCTIONS Place 1 cup of the milk and the tapioca pearls in a medium saucepan and stir to combine. Let the pearls soak uncovered at room temperature for 1 hour. Add the remaining 2 cups of milk, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla seeds, and salt and stir to combine. Place the pan over medium heat and cook, whisking frequently, until the mixture just comes to a simmer, about 10 minutes (do not let the mixture boil). Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking frequently, until the mixture thickens and the tapioca pearls are softened and translucent, about 15 minutes. Serve warm (the pudding will thicken as it cools). Place any leftovers in a bowl, press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding to keep a skin from forming, and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Oh, my! I can't deal with an oven without mitts. My great auntie made lovely potholders but I can't use them. My skin cries. :) Word of caution--if the mitts you got aren't water shedding, don't use them near the hot water from the bain marie. It's like touching a hot pot with a wet potholder or towel, but your can't drop it until you can get the mitt off. Most are fine, but some are just pretty fabric. I have a pair of cute pink ones that I was given. Only, really, for taking a hot pot to the table because they're just cotton so not safe enough around water, and too pretty to use around spatter that will stain. :) The bread pudding will still be sweet, because there is sugar in the gingerbread, but it's going to have sausage and lots of spices and fresh ginger and onions. The other bread is one of my sourdough starter discard breads, also from the freezer, and it's very sour, so I'm hoping they'll cancel each other out. :) Congrats on delighting your suffering friend!!

Coconut Pumpkin Bread 2 c flour 2 c sugar 1 t baking soda 2 3 oz pk coconut pudding mix 1 t salt 1 t cinnamon 1 ¼ c oil 5 eggs 2 c pumpkin puree Prepare 2 loaf pans. Mix dry ingredients, stir in remaining. Bake 1 hr @ 325. I make this every year & always get raves. I often do have to bake it about 5 minutes longer, but my oven temp is a bit low I think