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A white square baking dish of bread pudding with raisins.
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5 from 6 votes

Best Bread Pudding

If you are searching for the Best Bread Pudding, look no further! The Best bread pudding recipe has soaked bread in a rich, creamy, and warmly spiced custard. Filled with brandy and dried cranberries that's baked and then topped with a warm, indulgent cream sauce. 
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Cool15 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 354kcal

Ingredients

For the Bread Pudding

  • 10 slices stale bread or see note below about baking cut into cubes
  • 12 oz evaporated milk
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs beaten
  • 2 tbsp brandy
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins

For the Easy Cream Sauce

  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large egg yolks whisked well
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

For the Bread Pudding

  • Preheat your oven to 350. Grease a 8x8 baking sheet then set aside.
  • If bread isn’t dried out and already stale, add the bread to a baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes until golden then set aside.
  • In a mixing bowl, combine milk and whipping cream and set aside.
  • In your stand mixer, mix butter for about 1 minute then add in both sugars and mix on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
  • Next add in eggs, brandy, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix until well combined then set aside.
  • Next take bread cubes and add to the milk mixture and toss and fold until coated and liquid has mostly been absorbed into the bread.
  • Then add the butter mixture to the bread and toss again then add in the cranberries and make sure everything is tossed together well.
  • Pour the entire bread pudding into the greased pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes then serve.

For the Cream Sauce

  • Add half of the sugar to the whisked eggs and half of the sugar to the half and half mixture. Add the half and half mixture to a medium saucepan or small pot over medium heat. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved and it begins to bubble.
  • Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
  • Add a tiny bit of cream mix to the whisked eggs mixture to temper them and get them up to temperature. Do this 2 more times (about 1 tablespoon at a time) then continue adding in all of the liquid and whisk constantly to prevent scrambling until it is smooth.
  • Pour all of the liquid back in the saucepan and cook on low whisking constantly.
  • Once the sauce can coat the back of a spoon (about 10 minutes), serve.

Notes

  • If your bread isn’t stale, spread the cubes out on a baking sheet. Bake until the bread appears golden and hard, which will prevent a mushy end result.

Nutrition

Calories: 354kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 129mg | Sodium: 180mg | Potassium: 204mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 691IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 164mg | Iron: 1mg