Absolutely! Here’s a classic, rich and comforting bread pudding recipe—soft, custardy inside with a golden, slightly crisp top.
Ingredients (serves 6–8)
For the pudding:
- 6 cups day-old bread, cubed (challah, brioche, or French bread work best)
- 2 cups milk (whole milk gives best texture)
- ½ cup heavy cream (optional, for extra richness)
- ¾ cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ cup raisins or chocolate chips (optional)
- 2 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
For the sauce (optional but recommended):
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven:
- 350°F (175°C).
- Prepare the bread:
- Place cubed bread in a greased 8×8-inch or 9×9-inch baking dish.
- Sprinkle raisins or chocolate chips over the top if using.
- Make the custard:
- In a bowl, whisk together milk, cream, sugar, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Combine bread and custard:
- Pour custard over the bread cubes, pressing down gently so bread absorbs the liquid.
- Dot the top with small pieces of butter.
- Let sit for 10–15 minutes to soak (longer if bread is very dry).
- Bake:
- Bake for 40–50 minutes, until the top is golden and the custard is set (insert a knife in the center—should come out clean).
- Optional sauce:
- In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
- Add brown sugar and cream, whisk until smooth.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
- Drizzle over warm bread pudding.
- Serve:
- Best warm, with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Tips:
- Day-old bread is perfect—it soaks up custard without turning mushy.
- For extra flavor, add a splash of bourbon, rum, or orange zest to the custard.
- You can also bake this in a muffin tin for individual bread puddings—reduces bake time to ~25 minutes.
If you want, I can give a quick 30-minute “weeknight” bread pudding version that uses store-bought bread and cooks faster but is still decadent.
Do you want me to make that version too?
