Bread Pudding > Start Cooking (2024)

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Bread Pudding is home cooking at its best! Chances are, you already have on hand almost all the ingredients you will need to make bread pudding: sugar, milk, bread, butter, and eggs.

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Add four more ingredients – cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and raisins – and you’ve got the fixings for a wonderful dessert that everyone is going to love!

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It takes just a few simple steps to make bread pudding:

  1. Cube 4 slices of hearty bread and put it in a baking dish
  2. Combine eggs, milk, sugar and spices in a bowl
  3. Pour the egg mixture over the bread
  4. Make a bread, butter, sugar and cinnamon topping
  5. Bake for 50-55 minutes

Let’s startcooking!

Step 1 – Prepare the Bread

Spray a 1-and-1/2-quart baking (or casserole) dish with non-stick cooking spray. I’m using an 8x8x2 inch square baking dish.

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The recipe calls for 6 ounces, in total, of hearty white bread – 4 ounces for the base and 2 ounces for the topping. (That’s about 6-to-8 slices of bread.)

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With a knife, cut four ounces of the bread into cubes and put the cubed bread into the prepared dish.

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Sprinkle on 1/3 cup of raisins. Set this dish aside for the moment.

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Step 2 – Make the Egg Custard

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Put in to a large mixing bowl:

  • 2 eggs, plus one egg yolk*
  • 2 1/4 cups of whole milk
  • 6 Tablespoons of sugar (that’s 1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons)
  • 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 3 Tablespoons of butter, melted in the microwave

*(For a quick review on How to Crack and Separate Eggs – click here.)

Mix everything together.

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Step 3 – Combine the Bread and the Egg Custard

Pour the egg custard over the cubed bread.

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With the back of a spoon, gently press the bread into the egg custard.

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Let the bread pudding rest at room temperature on the counter-top, for 30 minutes. It will look like the picture below after 30 minutes.

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Step 4 – Make the Bread Topping

While the pudding is resting, make the bread topping:

There are two ways to prepare the bread topping. One way is with cubed bread…..

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…and the other way is with slices of bread.

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I will demonstrate both ways, but I personally prefer the topping made with the slices of bread. They both taste the same but I like the crispier texture of the sliced topping. Try both approaches, and then you can decide which you prefer!

For the sliced topping, combine (in a small bowl) 1 Tablespoon of sugar with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.

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Spread soft butter on the bread and sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar. Cut the bread into four pieces and….

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…place it on top of the pudding.

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As it cooks, it develops a nice crispy, toasted top.

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*****

If you prefer a cubed topping, cube the remaining 2 ounces of bread and put it in a bowl. Sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar…

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…and 1 Tablespoon of the butter, which needs to get melted first!

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Toss these ingredients together with a fork.

Add the cubes to the pudding.

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As it bakes, the topping develops a lovely golden color.

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Step 5 – Bake the Bread Pudding

Bake the Bread Pudding in a preheated 325º F degree oven for 50-to-55 minutes.

(325º F = 165º C = gas mark 3-very moderate)

The custard should be puffed and jiggle when you wiggle the dish.

If you want an even crispier cubed or sliced topping, you could put the cooked bread pudding under the broiler for just a few minutes. (As long as the baking dish you are using is safe to put under the broiler. Pyrex dishes are not broiler safe and could possibly explode from the intense heat of the broiler!)

Let the pudding sit for 20 minutes before serving it. It will not be quite as puffed as when you took it out of the oven, but it won’t burn your mouth either!

Bread pudding should be eaten while still warm. If there are any leftovers, store it in the refrigerator. By the next day the, it will have deflated quite a bit and have developed a much heavier texture – quite different from when you first baked it.

Bread Pudding is perfect plain, but you can add all sorts of toppings – including whipped cream, butterscotch, caramel, chocolate, or bourbon sauce.

Enjoy!

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FAQs

How to know when bread pudding is cooked? ›

Bake about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Another way to judge whether the pudding is fully baked, is to gently press down on the center of the pudding. If any custard comes up to the top, the pudding needs to be baked a little longer.

Should I cover my bread pudding when baking? ›

Before the inside of your pudding is set, the outer layer can become burnt and dry, which is why covering bread pudding during baking is the best move.

How to fix soggy bread pudding? ›

If the bread doesn't soak up enough custard, the end result will be mushy. The solution is to use bread that has dried out a bit. If possible, buy the bread a couple of days early, then slice it and leave it out.

Does bread pudding rise when cooking? ›

Bake until pudding is deep golden brown, is beginning to rise up sides of baking dish, and jiggles very slightly at the center when shaken, about 45 to 50 minutes.

How long does cooked pudding take to set? ›

Pour the pudding into a bowl and place in the fridge for 5 minutes. The pudding may seem thin, but will thicken as it cools. Once the 5 minutes are up, take a spoon and gingerly stick it into the pudding. If it hasn't set, leave the pudding in the fridge a while longer.

Why is my bread pudding still wet inside? ›

Only Cover The Bread Pudding In Oven For Some Of The Time

If you take it out too soon, you'll be left with a mushy and wet middle that hasn't been given the time it needs in the oven to set, but with a super crispy top -- not ideal, to say the least.

Is bread pudding supposed to be liquidy? ›

A good bread pudding needs to be moist with a custardy-like texture, but it should not be anywhere close to runny.

Why does my bread pudding look like scrambled eggs? ›

Bread pudding's magic is how the old, dried bread can be re-invigorated with a mixture of milk, eggs, and sugar that it soaks up like a sponge, but when the eggs aren't properly beaten you have a separation of the beaten yolk from the beaten whites which gives you the scrambled egg look and flavor.

Should bread pudding be refrigerated overnight before baking? ›

Refrigerate up to 24 hours. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the plastic from the baking dish and bake the bread pudding for 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the milk mixture is set.

Do you eat bread pudding with a spoon or fork? ›

Advice: Ditch the fork – it's completely superfluous – and dig in with the spoon!

Will my pudding thicken when it cools? ›

It will coat the back of the spoon; test it by running your finger down the spoon. You should wipe a clear, clean line through the custard. Remove from heat. The pudding will thicken more as it cools.

How do you know when bread is cooked through? ›

Inserting a toothpick into the center of a baked good is a tried and true method to test for doneness. If the toothpick comes out clean, your bread is likely fully baked. It needs a bit more time if it comes out wet with dough or crumbs.

Why is my bread pudding jiggly? ›

Yes, it is technically a custard, so it will have some jiggle when it's warm, but it should not be wet or soggy. The key is to make sure your bread is nice and stale.

How do you know when pudding cake is done? ›

The best way to do this is to gently press on the center of the cake with a few fingers to see if it springs back. If your fingers leave little indents, your cake isn't done baking. Return it to the oven for at least 5 minutes before checking it again.

Does cooked pudding thicken as it cools? ›

It will coat the back of the spoon; test it by running your finger down the spoon. You should wipe a clear, clean line through the custard. Remove from heat. The pudding will thicken more as it cools.

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