This homemade bread pudding is just like Grandma used to make! Featuring a rich custard and a buttery homemade caramel sauce poured over the top, this dessert has classic comfort in every bite.
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This is a sponsored recipe created on behalf of Sara Lee® Bread.
What is Bread Pudding?
Bread pudding is a cozy dessert that makes the most of stale bread and pantry basics. Dried bread is soaked in custard and baked. Top with a quick homemade caramel and a scoop of ice cream for a comforting treat.
- Flavor: Rich, creamy, and full of cozy vanilla sweetness in every bite.
- Swaps: This version of bread pudding is great with eggnog in place of dairy. Swap the raisins for other dried fruit like apricots or dried cranberries.
- Serving Suggestions: Brunch or dessert? We most often enjoy bread pudding for dessert with ice cream, but it can be served for brunch as well.
Bread Pudding Basics
- Bread: Use any loaf of thickly sliced stale or day-old bread, like Sara Lee Artisano bread, French bread, braided bread, challah, or brioche. If your bread is fresh, dry it out in the oven at 200°F or let it sit out uncovered overnight.
- Custard Mixture: Large eggs and half and half (or light cream) are whisked with brown sugar and spices. You can add a pinch of cloves, nutmeg, or allspice for a more fragrant and spicy dish. Pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice? Yes, please!
- Variations: Bread pudding is a versatile base for other add-ins like walnuts, pecans, coconut, sugared cranberries, diced apples, or chocolate chips. Feel free to add some rum or bourbon to the caramel.
How to Make Bread Pudding
- Whisk eggs, cream, brown sugar, and spices per the recipe below.
- Toss with the bread cubes and gently stir in raisins.
- Place the mixture into a casserole dish and drizzle with melted butter.
- Bake until a knife inserted in the center is clean.
Tasty Toppings
- While bread pudding is often served with vanilla sauce, ours features a quick and easy homemade caramel sauce.
- A scoop of vanilla ice cream will take this dessert to the next level.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and add a dollop of homemade whipped cream.
- Warmed pumpkin butter or apple butter, or a combo of both, can be drizzled on top
Love Your Leftovers
- Bread pudding can be served warm or at room temperature.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Freeze in single-serving sizes to make it easy to thaw and enjoy.
Cozy Fall and Winter Desserts
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Bread Pudding
- 10 slices thick-sliced bread stale or slightly dried
- 3 large eggs
- 1¾ cups half and half or light cream
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup raisins
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
For the Sauce
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
For the Bread Pudding:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 2.5-quart baking dish.
- Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes. If the bread is fresh, place it on a baking sheet and bake for 4 to 6 minutes (or until slightly dried). Cool completely.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon.
- In a large bowl combine the cooled bread cubes and raisins. Pour the egg mixture over the bread. Gently mix until all the bread cubes are evenly coated.
- Transfer the bread mixture to the prepared baking dish. Drizzle melted butter over top.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
For the Sauce:
- Make the sauce while the bread pudding is baking. Combine the brown sugar and butter in a medium saucepan.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, and let boil for 1 minute.
- Remove from heat and whisk in heavy cream. Allow to cool slightly.
- Drizzle the caramel sauce over the baked bread pudding and serve warm.
Notes
- Store leftover bread pudding in the fridge in a covered container for up to 3 to 4 days.
- You can freeze it for up to 2 to 3 months.
- You can replace the cream with eggnog.
- Nuts are a great addition to this recipe.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 442 | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 119mg | Sodium: 304mg | Potassium: 265mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 664IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 144mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Breakfast, Dessert
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Love all the recipes!
Thanks Ellen!
I made brownies and added to much peanut butter and did not increase liquid or oil! They came out as hard as rocks! I understand what I did wrong. BUT IS THERE A WAY TO SAVE THEM LIKE MAKE A CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING? GET THE BROWNIES SOAKED AND SOFT AND MAKE SOME KIND OF CAKE WITH THEM? SOMETHING????
You could try making them into a bread pudding and allow them to soak. Another option is to treat them like a poke cake and poke holes in them and pour a can of caramel and/or sweetened condensed milk on them and allow it to sit overnight. I do that with chocolate cake and it’s amazing!
Does this freeze well?
This recipe freezes beautifully.
Love your recipes !
Thanks Kathy!
This came out really good!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks
You are welcome Amy!
Sounds great! The ingredients are the same as the way my grandmother made! Definitely going to make
Love hearing that Billi Jo. Enjoy!
I plan to serve this in the morning . Can I make it the night before and cookand serve at room temperature in the morning?
That should work just fine Linda! Enjoy!
My pudding was dry what can I add to make it moist
I am sorry it turned out dry! Next time, make sure you have a little more liquid added to the bread. They should be moist before you bake. Enjoy!
This is bread and butter pudding. NOT bread pudding. 2 comletey differnt dishes.
Kath
This is bread pudding where I live. :)
Great recipe! Since it’s Christmas and all I used Almond Breeze eggnog instead of light cream. (more figure friendly too.) Also used almond extract instead of vanilla and fresh ground nutmeg instead of cinnamon, actually did just a titch of cinnamon on the top. Since I was making it for someone that can’t do gluten, I used gluten free lemon meringue muffins. I did another batch for my family all the same except used blueberry bagels. I toasted both the muffins and the bagels for a few minutes first, just like you direct with the bread. I topped these beauties with caramel and a light cream sauce of eggnog with a tiny shot of maple bourbon. A little scoop of butter pecan ice cream and we’re in heaven.
Your modifications sound delicious, especially the eggnog (plus I love almond milk)!! Thank you for sharing your ideas, I’ll definitely be trying this with eggnog! Merry Christmas!
Do you need to put the dish with the indredients in it and put the dish in a pan of water to cook. The reason I ask is that the last bread pudding I made that’s what had to be done. Please let me know as I want to make yours today for our thanksgiving.
You do not need water to cook this recipe, just put it in the oven as is.
Made this tonight with 2 kinds of leftover bread, one of which was leftover hot dog buns. I used only the brown sugar and left out the white – yes, that meant half the sugar. In place of cream I used one 12oz can of evaporated milk and a 1/4C 1% milk. Added about 1/4C broken pecan halves. It was a hit served with vanilla ice cream! Thanks for the easy recipe.
Glad you enjoyed it Amanda!
Although I agree that artesano bread is thick and vent enough to withstand the liquid and baking, we rarely have any leftover from which to make bread pudding! I use an assortment of Breads and put the heels in the freezer until I’m ready to pull it out and let them dry.
Great idea, thanks for sharing!
aww I’m truly salivating when seeing your caramel sauce, it looks so good and so does the bread pudding. However, I think we can also use the honey for the pudding isn’t it? It must be tasty, I guess!
It’s very tasty! I haven’t tried it with honey. Let us know if you try it Natalie!
It looks so good and easy to make. Thank you for sharing the recipe!! Can’t wait to try this.
For the light cream, am I correct to assume that the quantity is 1 3/4 cups? The recipe simply says 1 3/4
Yes, 1 ¾ cups Lora.
Can I use heavy cream
Hi Linda, we haven’t tried this recipe with heavy cream but it should work.
My grandmother would make a rum sauce for her bread pudding..would u know of one
I have an easy and delicious Caramel Sauce that works well for bread pudding.
When my kids were growing up, I used to put all leftover heels of bread and different bread remains in a bag and when I had enough, I would add eggs and sugar and raisins and milk etc. and bake this. This recipe was given to me by my mother-in-law at the time. To this day, my kids remember the ole bread pudding.
Thank you for sharing your sweet memory Faye :)
I looooove bread pudding! And raisins too! This would be perfect for brunch!
Definitely… perfect for dessert or brunch!