Preheat oven to 350 degrees and generously butter an 8" square or similar-sized baking dish. Add torn bread pieces into baking dish and drizzle with melted butter. Sprinkle top with pecans and arrange to make sure they are evenly distributed.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add beaten eggs, half-and-half, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla and whisk until well combined and sugar is dissolved. Pour egg mixture over bread, and lightly press bread down into liquid to ensure the bread is soaking up the liquid and becoming completely saturated. Set aside for 15-20 minutes at room temperature before baking to make sure bread has soaked up as much liquid as possible.
Bake 45–50 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean and the custard has set. Remove from oven and cool on a rack until slightly warm or room temperature.
While the bread pudding is baking, make the bourbon sauce. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, heavy cream and bourbon and stir to combine. Continue to stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Set aside and keep warm. Drizzle the sauce over the bread pudding with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.
Notes
Using less crusty bread will give you a softer bread pudding.