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Soft, cozy blankets by the fire. Warm hugs and laughter with relatives around the table. Familiar songs playing in the background while you celebrate with friends over a warm pan of Southern bread pudding with bourbon sauce and slowly melting vanilla ice cream. This old-fashioned holiday dessert is warmly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, moist and tender thanks to a rich custard, and finished with a decadent sauce. It’s an easy dessert for Thanksgiving or Christmas, and simple enough for your next Sunday supper!
Easy Bread Pudding Recipe
This easy bread pudding with bourbon sauce is a classic dessert that has been loved in Southern households for generations. It’s easy to assemble with just 15 minutes of hands-on prep, it requires minimal, simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand, and it’s a great way to feed a crowd. Plus, when you spike the bread pudding sauce with bourbon, whiskey or rum, it’s an instant party!
What nationality is bread pudding?
While many cultures have their own versions of “bread pudding,” food historians trace this dish back to 11th and 12th century Europe. It has remained a popular English dessert since the 13th century! At that time, just about every kitchen had a deep bowl called a “pudding basin,” which was used to collect scraps of stale bread. The dish evolved as a way to use up this stale bread, taking advantage of every bit of food available. After all, once bread was too stale to chew, it became a delicious conduit for soaking up cream and sugar!
Settlers brought bread pudding to the American colonies, where it has remained a staple in Southern cuisine for centuries. A brown sugar, butter, and bourbon sauce might be a more modern addition, but boy is it a good one!
Why is stale bread better for bread pudding?
Stale bread is best for bread pudding because the dry bread absorbs more liquid from the custard in the dish, keeping the bread pudding nice and moist as it bakes. If you don’t have stale bread on hand, this recipe recommends baking the bread cubes in a 350°F oven for about 14 minutes, or until nice and dry. Then let the bread soak in the milk and egg mixture for about 30 minutes before baking. This extra soaking time will yield a moist, flavorful pudding!
Ingredients for Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
This is a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a pan of simple bread pudding. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- French bread: a big loaf with a soft crust is best here. You can also use a loaf of Italian bread or even brioche or challah. Just make sure that the total amount of bread cubes measures about 13-14 cups.
- Whole milk: use whole milk (not low-fat) for the best flavor and texture in your custard.
- Eggs: give the pudding structure and help the liquid set.
- Granulated sugar: for just the right amount of sweetness, without making the bread pudding too sweet.
- Dark brown sugar: gives the pudding and the bourbon sauce a rich molasses flavor.
- Vanilla extract: for extra cozy flavor.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg: warm spices that really elevate the dish.
- Salt: to balance the sweetness and enhance the other flavors in the dessert.
- Unsalted butter: for the bourbon sauce.
- Bourbon: for a spike of festive flavor in the bread pudding sauce. You can substitute with whiskey or rum, if you prefer.
How to Make Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
While this easy bread pudding recipe is simple to prepare, it tastes like a rich, decadent dessert that requires hours of attention!
- Bake bread cubes so that they’re dry; cool completely.
- Whisk together custard.
- Arrange bread in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish; pour custard over top.
- Press gently down on the bread with a spatula so that the cubes are evenly saturated in the milk and egg mixture.
- Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Bake the bread pudding in a 350°F oven for 50-55 minutes.
- Cool for 30 minutes.
- Prepare the bourbon sauce.
- Dust the bread pudding with powdered sugar, drizzle with sauce, and top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
how to know when bread pudding is done
The bread pudding is done when a knife inserted in the center of the casserole comes out clean (without any wet custard on it). The filling will be puffed and set, and will continue to firm up as it cools. If using an instant-read thermometer, the center of the bread pudding will register about 160°F.
Serving Suggestions
Bread pudding can be served warm, at room temperature, or even cold. Dust the top of the dish with powdered sugar just before serving, drizzle with bourbon sauce, and top with whipped cream or ice cream for a truly decadent treat! In my opinion, the bread pudding is best when still slightly warm from the oven so that the buttery sauce falls easily through the nooks and crannies, and the vanilla ice cream melts slowly over the top.
Storage
The leftover bread pudding will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
How to Reheat
Reheat the bread pudding in a 350°F oven for about 30 minutes, or until warmed through. You can also reheat individual slices in the microwave for about 1 minute.
How to Freeze
Freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat according to the instructions above.
Recipe Variations
- Add about 1 cup of raisins or other dried fruit to the pan with the bread cubes before pouring the custard over top.
- Instead of bourbon, make the sauce with whiskey or rum.
- Add chopped pecans or chocolate chips before baking.
- If using salted butter for the sauce, you can omit the additional salt.
- Try other warm spices in addition to the cinnamon and nutmeg. Good options include cloves, allspice and ginger.
- If you have dry, stale bread on hand, you can skip the first step of baking the bread before assembly.
- Croissants are a great substitute for the bread. Make sure that they’re cubed and baked (or stale).
- If serving a smaller family, cut all of the ingredients in half and bake the pudding in a 2-quart dish.
Tips for the best bread pudding recipe
- Use a loaf of French or Italian bread with a soft crust — not a baguette. I find that the crust on a baguette is a little bit too chewy for this dish.
- Use whole milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream for the custard — not a lower fat alternative. You need the fat in the liquid for a rich, smooth, creamy pudding.
- Allow the bread cubes to soak in the milk mixture for about 30 minutes before baking. This helps keep the inside of the pudding nice and moist.
- Let the bread pudding rest for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. This will give the custard time to finish setting so that it’s firm and easy to slice.
- Vanilla sauce: for an easy, alcohol-free alternative to the bourbon sauce, spoon homemade “Crème Anglaise” over the bread pudding. To do so, just let vanilla ice cream melt until it’s the consistency of sauce (a trick I learned years ago from The Barefoot Contessa)!
More Southern Holiday Desserts to Try
Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 (1 lb.) loaf French bread, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 13-14 cups total)
- 6 cups whole milk, at room temperature
- 6 large eggs, at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
BOURBON SAUCE:
- 1 ½ cups packed dark brown sugar
- 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup bourbon
- Optional, for serving: powdered sugar, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream
Instructions
- Grease a 13×9-inch baking dish; set aside. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Arrange bread on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Bake until dry, about 14 minutes. Cool completely.
- Transfer bread cubes to the prepared baking dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Pour over the bread cubes; gently toss to combine.
- Use a spatula to gently press down the bread so that it’s mostly covered and saturated. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.
- Remove the cover; bake until puffed and golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50-55 minutes.
- Let stand 30 minutes before serving. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired, and serve with bourbon sauce, vanilla ice cream, and/or whipped cream.
For the Bourbon Sauce:
- In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
- Add the brown sugar and salt; whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the bourbon.
Notes
- Use a loaf of French or Italian bread with a soft crust — not a baguette. I find that the crust on the baguette is a little bit too chewy for this dish.
- Use whole milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream for the custard — not a lower fat alternative. You need the fat in the liquid for a rich, smooth, creamy pudding.
- Allow the bread cubes to soak in the milk mixture for about 30 minutes before baking. This helps keep the inside of the pudding nice and moist.
- Let the bread pudding rest for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. This will give the custard time to finish setting so that it’s firm and easy to slice.
- Vanilla sauce: for an easy, alcohol-free alternative to the bourbon sauce, spoon homemade “Crème Anglaise” over the bread pudding. To do so, just let vanilla ice cream melt until it’s the consistency of sauce (a trick I learned years ago from The Barefoot Contessa)!
Nutrition
This post was originally published in November, 2016. It was updated in November, 2021.
What a wonderful twist on bread pudding for this season. Love it ! Blair .
Thanks so much, Ruwani!
Bread pudding is also an old New England dessert. I grew up in New England and my family for generations before me did also. I remember when I was a young adult, I had bread pudding at a restaurant. I came home and asked my mother why she never made it. She was an awesome baker. Even though she worked as an OB nurse in our local hospital since she was 22, we did grow up with a working mother…. Not the norm during the 50’s and 60’s… but we always had homemade desserts on the counter or in the refrigerator.
Her answer was, when she was in high school, she babysat and the mother had my mom make bread pudding just about every time she babysat. My mom said that after she graduated from high school and started Nursing School, she never
wanted to look at bread pudding again…. So that’s why I never had it growing up.
A restaurant at Topsail Beach makes a black and white bread pudding… lots of delicious hunks ( not chips) of chocolate and chips of white chocolate. It is delicious.
I love that story, Debbie! 🙂
And I bet that the chocolate hunks are amazing in the bread pudding!
Thanks, Gayle! They’re perfect for this type of dessert! 🙂
This bread pudding looks delicious, and so easy to prepare!
Thank you, Joanne! We loved it! And honestly, it wouldn’t be a bad option for a holiday breakfast either! 🙂
This looks amazing! I am currently planning on making a make ahead breakfast spread for Christmas morning as Jesse and I will be heading to church early so this sounds like the perfect dish to add to the mix!
Your ideal holiday sounds a lot like mine!
Kristy, this would be PERFECT for a make-ahead breakfast! 🙂
Hi,
This looks like a wonderful & delicious recipe. Can you use Challah bread instead of French bread? Texture of bread is different so unsure.
Thank you,
Indigo
Hi, Indigo! Yes, I think the challah should work fine!
This is a wonderful recipe! The warm, fragrant bread pudding topped with the bourbon sauce makes this a 5-star winter dessert. I’ve taken it twice now to dinner parties. Everyone loves it, and we love smelling it in the car on the way. When making this dish the second time, I added a cup of raisins soaked overnight in a few tablespoons of bourbon. The drunken raisins added to the taste and texture of the pudding. Both times I’ve used more bread than is called for (around 1.3 lbs) since a little more seemed needed to soak up the milk and egg mixture. Possibly because of the extra bread, I’ve found that this dish takes around 90 minutes to cook to the point where a knife comes out clean. I used Woodford Reserve Bourbon for both the raisins and the sauce since its flavor profile makes it a perfect match for this dish.
Thank you so much for your feedback, Doug! We’ll have to give your modifications a try. We’re so glad you enjoy the recipe!