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How to Make the Best Bread Pudding Recipe

Baked, Baking, Baking Bread, Bread, Bread Dessert

How to Make the Best Bread Pudding Recipe

Bread pudding is an easy bread-based dessert that is popular in many countries. Though different countries tend to vary their flavorings and ingredients, the basic ingredients include stale bread, milk or cream, eggs, and oil or butter.

Other ingredients will depend on whether the bread is meant to be sweet or savory, but popular additions include sugar, syrup, honey, dried fruit, nuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, and vanilla. The bread is then soaked in liquids, mixed with other ingredients, and baked.

Savory puddings may be served as main courses while sweet puddings are typically eaten as desserts.

Because bread pudding is so popular and versatile, every good cook will need a variety of recipes in their arsenal. If you are thinking of creative ways to prepare bread pudding, don't fret! We provide recipes your family and friends are sure to love.

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Our recipes come with clear step-by-step directions giving cooks what they need to make a successful dish. Some recipes will be quick to make while others take a bit of preparation, but when it comes to variety, we have bread puddings that are sure to be pleasing to any palette. Choose from Mexican Bread Pudding, New Orleans Bread Pudding, Chocolate Bread Pudding, Slow Cooker Bread Pudding, and more.

A bit of frosting on your bread pudding creates an entirely new, delicious dish for you to try

©Katarzyna Hurova/Shutterstock.com

Bread Pudding Around the World

The recipe for bread pudding varies in different countries. Here is some of what you can expect when tasting this dessert in different parts of the world. 

  • Belgium: Bread pudding is made with stale bread, brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins or apples.
  • Canada: The Canadians use maple syrup in their bread pudding recipes.
  • Hong Kong: In this part of the world, bread pudding is served with a vanilla cream dressing.
  • Puerto Rico: This island leaves its bread to soak in coconut milk overnight. It is then made into bread pudding served with guava rum sauce.
  • Cuba: Cubans call their bread pudding ‘pudin’ and they serve it with a guava marmalade. 
  • Germany: The Germans use black bread to create a black bread pudding. 
  • Hungary: In Hungary, bread pudding is known as Máglyarakás and it is served with whipped egg whites on top of it. 
  • Malaysia: In Malaysia, bread pudding is served with custard sauce. 
  • Britain: In Britain, rather than adding the bread to the mixture, the recipe calls for layering where you layer the white bread with the other ingredients and then bake the dish to perfection. There is no sauce added to the recipe, although you can make some and add it if you wish. 
  • United States: In the United States, bread pudding is usually served with some sort of sweet sauce like whisky, rum, or caramel. It is also often topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. It is typically sprinkled with powdered sugar and served in warm squares or sliced. 

Tips for Making Bread Pudding

If you are making bread pudding, some say you should toast the bread in advance. This will serve to dry out the bread, making it better able to absorb the mix. It will also give the pudding a better texture.

Another tip is to let the pudding sit for a while before baking it. This will ensure that the bread truly soaks up the flavor to make the pudding as tasty as possible.

Finally, it is difficult to do a toothpick test on bread pudding as the middle will be wet, even when the bread is ready. A golden brown top and a center that jiggles but doesn’t wiggle will be indicators that your pudding is done.

There is no doubt that people love bread pudding, but reasons may vary. For a lot of us, it’s nostalgia. A yearning for a simpler time when dessert was made from a few common kitchen ingredients. It may also be the way it brings everyone into the kitchen, with the smell of cinnamon and vanilla fresh from the oven. Whatever the reason this bread pudding becomes your number one comfort food, savor every bite. Nothing beats warm bread pudding on a cold or rainy night. It is truly the soul-satisfying treat that most people crave.

What to Have With Bread Pudding

If bread pudding isn't enough on its own to satisfy you, we've got some suggestions for what you can pair with it. Each of these suggestions are excellent complements to bread pudding, and are sure to be loved by all.

A glass of hot buttered rum is a great accompaniment to bread pudding, especially if you used a rum-based sauce. Hot buttered rum is relatively easy to make, although it isn't the cheapest due to the cost of rum. It's okay to go for a cheaper bottle of rum if you'll be serving this to a lot of people. Of course, this drink is only appropriate for the legal drinkers!

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For the younger crowd, consider serving some cinnamon apple cider instead. This warm, cozy drink will amplify the appeal of bread pudding tenfold. Plus, apple cider is easy and cheap to come by in the fall. Pour yourself a glass and enjoy!

Croissants are a nice food to serve alongside bread pudding, if you're looking for something extra to add to the menu. Croissants are fluffy, and when served warm will pair excellently with this bread pudding recipe. You can make them from a can, or make your own from scratch. Which option you choose depends on your budget, as well as how much time and energy you have.

If you enjoy this recipe, make sure to check out our Apple Bread Pudding Recipe and our Lemon Bread Pudding Recipe.

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Bread Pudding Recipe

Bread Pudding Recipe


1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (40 votes, average: 3.68 out of 5)

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  • Author: Moms Who Think
  • Total Time: 70 Minutes

Description

This bread pudding recipe, from an old Amish cookbook, is absolutely incredible.


Ingredients

Scale

Bread Pudding

  1. 2 cups whole milk (or 2 cups half & half)
  2. 1/4 cup butter
  3. 2/3 cup brown sugar (light or dark, depending on taste preference)
  4. 3 eggs
  5. 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  6. 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  7. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  8. 3 cups bread, torn into small pieces (french bread works best)
  9. 1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Bread Pudding Sauce

  1. 1 cup whole milk
  2. 2 Tablespoons butter
  3. 1/3 cup granulated white sugar (light brown sugar can be substituted)
  4. 1 teaspoon vanilla
  5. 1 Tablespoon flour
  6. dash of salt

Instructions

Bread Pudding

  1. In medium saucepan, over medium heat, heat milk (or half & half) just until film forms over top. Combine butter and milk, stirring until butter is melted. Cool to lukewarm.
  2. Combine sugar, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for 1 minute. Slowly add milk mixture.
  3. Place bread in a lightly greased 1 1/2 quart casserole.
  4. Sprinkle with raisins if desired. Pour batter on top of bread.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes or until set. Serve warm.

Bread Pudding Sauce

  1. Mix everything together and bring to a boil for 3 – 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Set aside for 5 minutes, then pour on warm bread pudding.

Notes

If you make the sauce to put on top of your bread pudding, adjust the brown sugar in the bread pudding recipe. Reduce the amount in the recipe to 1/3 cups dark or light brown sugar (the sauce has the other 1/3 cup in it, in the form of white or light brown sugar).

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  • Prep Time: 15 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 55 Minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: British
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Bread Pudding

Traditional British Bread and Butter Pudding Recipe


1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (5 votes, average: 4.60 out of 5)

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  • Author: Moms Who Think
  • Total Time: 90 Minutes

Description

We’ve included another version below the old fashioned bread pudding recipe; the British Bread and Butter Pudding. It is slightly different than the American version, but equally tasty.


Ingredients

Scale
  1. 8 slices white bread
  2. 3 ounces sultanas (85g)
  3. 4 ounces brown sugar (113g)
  4. 3 cups whole milk
  5. 3 large eggs, beaten
  6. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  7. ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
  8. ½ teaspoon salt
  9. butter (for buttering the bread and greasing the baking dish)

Instructions

  1. Preaheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C)
  2. Grease an oven proof baking dish.
  3. Evenly butter each of the slices of bread on both sides, then cut each slice into 4 triangles.
  4. Place a layer of the buttered bread on the bottom of the dish, slightly overlapping each triangle.
  5. Sprinkle sultanas and brown sugar evenly across the bread for the second layer.
  6. Continue layering bread then sultanas and brown sugar until all the bread is used.
  7. Sprinkle the top of the pudding with sultanas and sugar.
  8. Beat together the milk, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Pour this mixture on top of everything.Allow to stand for 30 minutes so the liquid is fully absorbed.
  9. Place baking dish in the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until top is golden brown.
  • Prep Time: 45 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 Minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: British
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