Bread Pudding

How to Make Bread Pudding

Here are the basics for making our best bread pudding. You’ll see just how easy it is to make this craveable dessert! Follow the recipe for the specifics, so your bread pudding will turn out deliciously:

Heat the Milk and Butter

This gives the butter a chance to melt and mix in with the milk giving the custard that forms in the oven a jump-start. It also cuts down on bake time, ensuring the bread cubes are perfectly baked.

Mixing It All Together

The remaining custard ingredients are mixed--eggs, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. The bread cubes and raisins are stirred into the custard mixture to moisten them before everything gets poured into the casserole dish.

Bake Until the Custard is Done

The bread pudding is perfectly done if baked until a knife comes out clean when inserted an inch from the edge rather than the center of the casserole (a knife inserted in the center of the bread pudding may not come out clean). This will prevent the custard from over baking.

Serve Warm with Cream

Allow the bread pudding to cool until warm. Spoon servings into bowls and pour the cream over it just before serving, for the best texture and flavor.

Best Bread for Bread Pudding

Bread pudding is a great way to use up old bread that might otherwise go to waste. For the best bread for bread pudding, use those that have a slightly chewy texture, such as Italian, French baguette, sourdough, or croissants. These breads have textures that are sturdy enough to not break apart when tossed with the other ingredients and baked. Day-old sandwich bread, either plain, whole wheat, or cinnamon raisin bread could also be used. If used fresh, they would fall apart, but being a day old, some of the moisture from them evaporates—making them perfect for bread pudding. Avoid very chewy breads such as ciabatta or bagels, as it will be difficult for the custard to soften these enough in the oven, resulting in bread pudding with an undesirable texture.

Bread Pudding Variations

Feel like customizing bread pudding with other ingredients or flavors? Try any of these ideas or experiment with your own ideas:

Fill With Fruit: Add a layer of flavor and color by adding a 1/2 cup dried fruit such as dried cherries, sweetened dried cranberries, chopped dried figs, or apricots with the raisins.

Make It Chocolaty: For an indulgent treat, substitute a 1/2 cup milk chocolate, semisweet, or dark chocolate chips for the raisins.

Spice It Up: Play with the spices in this dessert, rather than going with the traditional cinnamon. Experiment using a combination of cinnamon and ground ginger, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice or ground coriander, for a delicious change of pace.

Serving Bread Pudding

Eating bread pudding for dessert is homey comfort food at its best. When served fresh, warm from the oven it is like a hug from grandma! The bread will have crusty edges as well as soft, sink your teeth sides that create a textural adventure for your mouth. Spoon warm servings of it (about 2/3 cup each) into small bowls. Top it with the whipping cream or for the ultimate eating experience--sweetened whipped cream or ice cream. Pass out the bowls with spoons to enjoy every delicious bite of the bread pudding and melty, creamy sweetness.

Storing and Reheating Bread Pudding

For the best flavor and texture, it’s best to serve bread pudding while it’s warm from the oven. If you find yourself with leftovers, place them in a food-safe food storage container or wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 days. The bread will continue to dry out with storage.

To reheat leftovers, spoon a serving into a microwavable bowl. Cover and microwave on medium-high (70%) about 1 minute or until warm in the center. Serve with heavy whipping cream, ice cream, or sweetened whipped cream to add moisture, more like the freshly baked bread pudding.

Freezing is not recommended, as the texture of the bread will not hold up well to freezing, thawing, and reheating.