Bread pudding is basically a giant upgraded french toast casserole. This dessert recipe is super-quick to whip up and of course it’s a great use for stale bread, but just because it’s easy doesn’t mean it’s not amazingly delicious! I used brioche instead of plain white bread then whipped up my favorite brandy sauce to pour liberally on top.
Growing up, my family would have bread pudding for breakfast whenever there was a loaf of stale bread hanging around. My version elevates the dish with a creamy custard and amazing rum sauce. Still super-easy but even more delicious.
What You’ll Need for this Recipe
Brioche: This rich and decadent bread is perfect for a bread pudding recipe. You can find it in the bakery section of most supermarkets but you can definitely substitute it for challah bread, french bread, or another white bread.
Brandy: Provides a big dash of flavor for your bread pudding sauce. You can use dark rum or bourbon if preferred or omit and use some additional vanilla and water.
Brown Sugar: You can use light or dark brown sugar for the sauce. Darker sugar will add more notes of caramel.
How to make Bread Pudding
1. Set oven to 350F. Chop your bread into roughly one inch bread cubes. This is the perfect use for stale bread but if you are just craving an amazing bread pudding then get a nice loaf of eggy bread like challah or brioche and cut away!
2. Add the milk, butter, salt and sugar to a small pot and place over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally until milk just starts to bubble and then remove from heat.
3. Stir in vanilla extract. If you’d like to make this with a traditional twist then add a few tablespoons to 1/4 cup of brandy, rum, or bourbon. This is not necessary so if you’re serving to a mixed crowd then stick with vanilla extract.
4. Once the milk has cooled down a bit you can add the eggs and yolk and whisk together in a large mixing bowl until combined.
5. Fill the baking dish or casserole dish with your cubes of bread. It’s best to try and fill in most of the gaps and have a fairly level surface on top. If you have a mound of bread in your dish then the custard mixture won’t be able to soak into the higher pieces.
6. Pour the egg mixture custard onto the bread mixture. I like to reserve about a cup of the custard to carefully spoon onto the bread so there are no dry pieces sneaking by before baking. Pop into the preheated oven set at 350F and bake for about 40-50 minutes or until a knife comes out clean from the center. Baking time can be affected by the material your dish is made of as well as it’s size.
After baking for about 40 minutes your bread pudding will be toasted at the tips and a knife inserted into the center will come out clean. You can serve as is, with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, caramel sauce, ice cream, or you can whip up a quick rum sauce, which is a traditional accompaniment for bread pudding.
How to make Bread Pudding Sauce
1. Scald two cups of milk. Melt butter over medium heat then add two tablespoons of flour. For some extra flavor you can brown the butter a bit but just cook it until you see the color darken slightly.
2. Whisk over heat for about a minute. Keep that flour moving!
3. Add your scalded milk in a bit at a time while whisking over heat. Add the brown sugar and salt then stir until thickened. Don’t leave the pot unattended, that’s always when it boils over!
4. Once the vanilla sauce has thickened pour in the brandy or whichever spirit you prefer and mix in. The sauce is best warm but can be reheated if you’re making this in advance or enjoying leftovers. You can of course use vanilla instead.
Pro Tips for this Recipe
- Use stale bread. If your bread is fresh then bake 250F for 10 minutes on a sheet after cubing. This will help dry it out so it can soak up more custard.
- More soaking time is great! Your pudding is best when the bread is fully saturated.
- Don’t stress about the exact amount of bread, it’s a vehicle for your custard but you can always scale the dish size down or up a bit.
- Add toasted pecans, raisins, chocolate chips, or whatever else strikes your fancy. This dessert is really adaptable and forgiving.
- You can totally add brandy, rum, or bourbon into the custard. Stir in a few tablespoons to 1/4 cup after the sauce has thickened.
- If you want a crisper top increase temp to 400 degrees F after the custard has set and move the baking dish to the top rack. Bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is stale bread better for bread pudding?
Any white bread will work well but its better if it’s stale and it’s even better still if you choose an eggy bread like brioche or challah.
What can I add to this recipe?
- Toasted pecans
- Chocolate chips
- Marshmallows
- Brandy, rum or bourbon to the custard (two tablespoons to 1/4 cup)
- Raisins
How do you store leftovers?
Stored in an airtight container your bread pudding will keep for up to four days in the refrigerator. You can add extra sauce onto the pudding before chilling or store separately.
Can you freeze it?
Bread pudding will keep in the freezer for two months; wrap well. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and warm in microwave or in the oven for best results.
Do you eat it warm or cold?
This bread pudding recipe is best warm but you can definitely enjoy it cold. I think it’s best out of the oven just after you pour that warm sauce all over.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Bread Pudding
Equipment
- 8x8 inch baking dish
Ingredients
For the Bread Pudding:
- 15 oz brioche
- 2 cups scalded milk
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 eggs large
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract or paste
For the Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or paste
- 1/4 cup brandy or rum or bourbon
- 1 pinch salt plus more to taste
Instructions
For the Bread Pudding:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly butter your baking dish.
- Cube the bread into manageable pieces, roughly one inch in size. Add to an 8x8 baking dish.
- Add milk, sugar, salt and butter to a small pot and place over medium heat. Stir occasionally until scalded. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
- Once cooled a bit stir in the vanilla then whisk in the eggs one at a time.
- Pour custard over the bread. It's a good idea to reserve some to spoon over the top. This will let you soak any dry pieces on top.
- Set it aside for about 20-30 minutes so the bread can soak the liquid in. This is optional but it helps to give the bread time to soak up all of that custard.
- Bake for about 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees F. You bread pudding is done when a knife inserted in the center comes out cleanly.
For the Sauce:
- Over a medium low heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour and cook for about 1 min (don't stop whisking)
- Add scalded milk a bit at a time while whisking then mix in the brown sugar and and salt.
- Stir until over heat until thickened.
- Remove from heat, stir in brandy, rum or bourbon. You can also flavor with a tablespoon of vanilla extract instead.
- Pour over bread pudding while warm. You can make the sauce in advance and reheat on the stove before using.
Notes
- Use stale bread. If your bread is fresh then bake 250F for 10 minutes on a sheet after cubing. This will help dry it out so it can soak up more custard.
- More soaking time is great! Your pudding is best when the bread is fully saturated.
- Don't stress about the exact amount of bread, it's a vehicle for your custard but you can always scale the dish size down or up a bit.
- Add toasted pecans, raisins, chocolate chips, or whatever else strikes your fancy. This dessert is really adaptable and forgiving.
- You can totally add brandy, rum or bourbon the the custard. Stir in a few tablespoons to 1/4 cup after the sauce has thickened.
- If you want a crisper top increase temp to 400 degrees F after the custard has set and move the baking dish to the top rack. Bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Nutrition
