Bread Pudding

This cinnamon brown sugar Bread Pudding is made with stale brioche, cinnamon brown sugar custard and chunks of dark chocolate.

What kind of bread is best for bread pudding?

Some people like using a crusty sourdough type of bread for bread pudding. However, I prefer a stale brioche loaf because it absorbs the custard beautifully and gives that soft inside while still browning on the top.

Why is my bread pudding soggy?

Usually bread pudding will get soggy if there isn’t enough bread, the bread isn’t stale enough, or the bread pudding hasn’t baked for long enough. As annoying as it is, if your loaf doesn’t weigh enough, you need to supplement it with a bit extra to keep the consistency right. For extra stale bread, tear or cut it up and then let it sit out, uncovered for at least an hour if not more before soaking it with the custard.

What dish should bread pudding be baked in?

Bread pudding can be baked in any dish. However, the baking times will vary. In this recipe I have baked it in this metal loaf pan because I love that it gives the most amount of custardy insides and not too much of the top that I find dries out quickly. I also like to slice the leftovers into thick bread slices and then toast them in a pan and it makes the most delicious kind of french toast. That being said this can also be baked in a ceramic dish just make sure the mixture is at least 3 inches deep so it doesn’t dry out.

What’s in bread pudding?

Bread pudding at it’s simplest is made with stale bread, sugar, butter, eggs, milk and heavy cream. This recipe also includes cinnamon and dark chocolate for a bit more flavor.

Tips for making Bread Pudding

• You really want stale bread for good bread pudding. I’ve tried making it with relatively fresh bread and it doesn’t absorb enough of the custard which ends up giving a weird soggy bottom that’s just egg and milk.
• To get your bread stale quickly, tear or cut it up and place it on a sheet tray in the fridge for at least a couple hours or overnight.
• Don’t underbake it! Bread pudding really needs to be baked fully otherwise the custard won’t set up properly.
• You can basically add anything into the bread pudding including nuts, dried fruit, etc or just leave it plain. I added dark chocolate but you could leave it out if you prefer!
• My favorite thing to do with the leftovers is store them in the fridge, then slice it into 1″ thick slices. Toast them in some butter in a cast iron pan until golden brown, toss in a bit of sugar and then top with a greek yogurt whipped cream. It’s the perfect combo of soft and custardy but a little bit crispy and never soggy.

Additional Cake Recipes to try!

• Lemon Ricotta French Toast
• Red Currant Coffee Cake
• Plum Berry Crumble

Bread Pudding Ingredients

• Brioche Bread: You need between 16 and 17 ounces of stale brioche bread for this recipe. I haven’t tried it with any “swirled” breads but I think it would be delicious.
• Butter: A bit of melted butter in the custard makes this recipe rich and moist, also gives it delicious flavor.
• Sugar: This cake uses brown sugar in the custard and for the cinnamon brown sugar layer. You can use white granulated sugar instead it just won’t have quite the same warm flavor.
• Salt: A little bit of fine sea salt enhances the flavors and balances out the sweetness.
• Vanilla Extract: Vanilla adds flavor to the custard.
• Cinnamon: the combination of cinnamon, custard, and dark chocolate is truly magical but if cinnamon isn’t your thing feel free to swap it for another spice.
• Eggs: I use standard large eggs from the store.
• Milk: I prefer to use whole milk for the custard but you can use skim or 2%. I’ve never tried this recipe with a milk alternatives so I don’t know for sure if they would work.
• Heavy Cream: Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream will work, it just makes the custard extra rich and creamy and helps stabilize the bread pudding.
• Dark chocolate: I like to use a minimum 66% dark chocolate but you can really use anything you want. It’s nice to balance out all the sweetness with something a little more bitter.

How to make a Brown Sugar Bread Pudding?

Prep the Bread

• Tear or cut your stale bread into 2″ (ish) chunks. If the bread doesn’t feel dry, leave it sitting out for a few hours to dry out a bit more.

Custard

• In a separate large microwave safe mixing bowl, melt the butter in 15 second increments.
• Add in the sugar, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon and whisk to combine. Crack in the eggs one at a time and whisk to combine after each egg.
• Pour in the milk and heavy cream and whisk once more.
• Add the stale bread into the bowl with the custard and really mix it up, you can even use your hands to make sure all the bread is soaked.
• Preheat the oven to 375 F and place a rack in the center of the oven.
• Leave the bread and custard in the mixing bowl and chop up the chocolate.
• Pour the chocolate into the bowl with the bread and custard and stir to combine.
• In a separate small bowl, mix together the remaining brown sugar and cinnamon.

Assemble & Bake

• Once the oven is hot, add half of the bread pudding mixture into your pan. I use this metal loaf pan from USA Pan which is non stick and all around amazing but if you are using a different loaf pan, I recommend lining it with a long rectangle of parchment that reaches down one long side of the pan and up the other.
• Sprinkle the layer with half of the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture.
• Add the second half of the bread pudding mixture into the pan and optionally sprinkle with any remaining cinnamon sugar.
• Bake the bread pudding in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for another 25-30 minutes.
• The bread pudding with puff up and become golden brown.
• Once baked, remove the pan from the oven and leave it to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving it.
• If baked in a ceramic casserole dish, you can simply spoon out large servings for everyone.
• If baked in a loaf pan I recommend using a wooden spatula or a plastic spatula to cut it into slices in the pan without scratching the pan.
• To turn it into french toast the next day, you can just let it cool completely in the pan and then cover it and store it in the fridge.

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