Bread Pudding Classic Dessert (Printable)

Golden baked bread soaked in vanilla custard with raisins, topped with warm creamy sauce.

# What You Need:

→ Pudding

01 - 6 cups stale bread, cubed (French bread or brioche recommended)
02 - 1 cup raisins
03 - 2 cups whole milk
04 - 1 cup heavy cream
05 - 4 large eggs
06 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
07 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
08 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
09 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
10 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
11 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (plus extra for greasing)

→ Sauce

12 - 1 cup heavy cream
13 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
14 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
15 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
16 - Pinch of salt

# How to Make:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter.
02 - Place bread cubes in the baking dish and sprinkle raisins evenly over them.
03 - Whisk together milk, heavy cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and melted butter until smooth.
04 - Pour custard mixture evenly over bread and raisins, gently pressing bread to absorb custard. Let stand for 10 minutes.
05 - Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes until puffed, golden, and a knife inserted comes out clean.
06 - While baking, combine cream, sugar, and butter in a saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring until sugar dissolves and mixture simmers. Remove from heat, then stir in vanilla extract and a pinch of salt.
07 - Serve warm, drizzled with the prepared sauce.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It turns ingredients you'd normally toss into something warm, indulgent, and deeply comforting.
  • The pudding itself is simple enough that even when you're exhausted, you can still pull off something that feels fancy.
  • That creamy sauce changes everything—it's the moment the dish goes from dessert to something people actually rave about.
02 -
  • Don't use fresh bread—it'll turn into mush and your pudding will be soggy instead of tender; stale bread is what makes this work.
  • The pudding continues to cook slightly after you take it out of the oven, so don't wait for it to feel completely firm or it'll be dry.
  • If your sauce breaks or looks grainy, just whisk in a splash of cold cream off the heat and it'll come back together smoothly.
03 -
  • Tear your bread into slightly uneven chunks instead of cutting perfect cubes—they soak up custard better and create a more interesting texture.
  • If you forget to let your custard mixture sit before baking, just extend the baking time by 5–10 minutes and you'll be fine.
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