Bread Pudding Recipe

A serving of bread pudding on a plate with vanilla sauce on top.

Bread pudding with creamy homemade vanilla sauce is the best way to use stale bread! Milk, sugar, cinnamon, and eggs make a rich custard that tastes like French toast!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 10

Total Time 1 25

Servings servings

Calories 850kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

8” baking pan
Saucepan

Ingredients

6 cups stale bread cut into 2-inch cubes (I like brioche or challah)
2 cups whole milk (480ml)
½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the Vanilla Sauce:

1 cup whole milk (240ml)
1 cup heavy cream (240ml)
½ cup packed light brown sugar (110g)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon vanilla extract or paste
Salt to taste (optional)

Instructions

For the Bread Pudding:

Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, butter, cinnamon, and salt and place over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the butter is fully melted. Set aside and allow to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
While the milk is cooling, lightly butter an 8-inch square baking dish, and place the bread cubes in the baking dish.
Once the milk mixture is just warm to the touch, whisk in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Pour the custard over the bread, making sure to soak any dry pieces on top that got missed in the pour. (At this point, I like to let mine site for 20 to 30 minutes so the bread can soak up the liquid.)
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown on top and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

For the Sauce:

While the bread pudding is baking, combine the milk, cream, sugar, and butter in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the butter and sugar are fully melted and the mixture is steaming.
Meanwhile, dissolve the cornstarch is ¼ cup water, or use bourbon or rum for a boozy kick. Once the milk mixture is steaming, stir in the cornstarch. Stir constantly until the mixture has thicken. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt if desired.
Pour some of the sauce over the warm bread pudding and serve with extra sauce.

Video

Notes

Use stale bread. Dry, stale bread will soak up the custard the best. If you don’t have stale bread, let it sit out overnight before making this recipe. Or you can cube fresh bread and bake it on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes at 250°F to dry it out.
When the bread pudding is done, the pudding should jiggle slightly, and a knife will come out clean. If you want to be more precise, use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature in the center. It should read 160°F-170°F for a custardy center.

Nutrition