Ah, bread pudding—a warm, comforting dessert made from bread soaked in a rich custard, often flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, and raisins. 🍞🍮 Here’s a classic recipe:
Classic Bread Pudding Recipe
Ingredients (serves 6–8)
For the pudding:
- 6 cups day-old bread, cubed (French bread or brioche works best)
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional for richness)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup raisins or other dried fruit (optional)
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
For the sauce (optional but recommended):
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Prepare the custard:
- In a bowl, whisk together milk, cream, sugar, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.
- Assemble the pudding:
- Place bread cubes in the baking dish.
- Sprinkle raisins over the bread.
- Pour the custard mixture evenly over the bread.
- Press the bread lightly to soak it all.
- Drizzle melted butter on top.
- Bake:
- Bake 40–45 minutes, until the custard is set and the top is golden brown.
- Make the sauce (optional):
- In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
- Stir in brown sugar and cream. Bring to a simmer for 2–3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
- Serve:
- Spoon bread pudding onto plates and drizzle with warm sauce.
💡 Tips:
- Use slightly stale bread—it soaks up custard better than fresh bread.
- For a richer pudding, add a splash of rum or bourbon to the custard.
- You can also add chocolate chips, nuts, or fresh berries for variety.
If you want, I can give a quick 30-minute bread pudding version that uses day-old sandwich bread and no sauce, perfect for a last-minute dessert.
Do you want me to share that faster version?
