Bread Pudding is a bread-based dessert which is popular in many countries and is made by using stale bread, milk, eggs and butter. It’s not only a great dessert, but also perfect for breakfast or brunch on a lazy sunday morning.
This recipe is perfect if you have leftover bread and want to turn it into a delicious dish without much effort. Bread Pudding is delicious on its own, but also delightful when you serve it with fresh fruit, sauces, nuts, ice cream, whipped cream or chocolate. Experiment to see what works for you.
Tools & Equipment
- 20cm / 8-inch square baking pan
- Cutting board
- Medium saucepan
- Serrated knife
- Small fine-mesh strainer
- Whisk
Recipe Tips
Bread: for this recipe you can use a sweet egg bread like challah or brioche or any other white bread works well too. Use stale bread. However, if you only have fresh bread available, cut it into cubes, spread it on a baking sheet and bake it for 10-12 minutes at 110°C / 230°F. This process allows the bread to dry out and this helps it soak up more custard.
Soaking Time: if you do not have much time, you can bake the soaked bread immediately. Letting it soak for 20-30 minutes will make it taste even better, allowing the bread to fully soak up the liquid.
Add-Ins: I made a plain version without any additions, but feel free to add nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chips or whatever you like.
Ingredients for this Recipe
Step by Step Guide – How to Make Bread Pudding
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F and lightly butter a 20cm / 8-inch square baking pan. Cut the bread into small pieces and transfer them to the baking pan.
Add milk, sugar, salt, cinnamon and butter to a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir occasionally until scalded. Let it cool slightly.
Stir in the vanilla followed by the eggs, one at a time, until everything is fully combined. Save about 1 cup of the custard for finishing.
Pour most of the custard over the bread. Then take a spoon, spread the rest of the custard over the top and make sure all dry bits are soaked. Let the bread sit for about 20-30 minutes.
Bake for 30-40 minutes. The bread pudding is done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.
Storage: you can store the bread pudding, tightly covered, for up to 5 days in the fridge or for up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven at 180°C / 350°F for about 10 minutes.
You could prepare this dish a day ahead, store overnight in the fridge and bake the next day. However, do not leave the bread pudding unbaked for more than one night, because the longer it sits, the soggier the bread becomes.
My Summary for Bread Pudding
Difficulty: simple.
Taste: it tastes as the name suggests, like bread with pudding. Slightly sweet with a pleasant hint of vanilla and cinnamon.
Texture: the finished bread pudding is slightly mushy, moist and semi-solid. It tastes best warm, once cold the texture becomes firmer.
Time: if you let the bread soak for 30 minutes, it will take about 90 minutes for the bread pudding to be finished. Maybe a little longer, as you should let it cool for a few minutes after you take it out of the oven and before you serve it.
