This classic bread pudding recipe is the ultimate comfort dessert! Made with cubes of bread soaked in a rich vanilla-cinnamon custard, it bakes up golden on the edges and perfectly soft and custardy in the middle. It’s simple, cozy, and the best way to turn leftover bread into something seriously delicious.
Why You’ll Love This Bread Pudding Recipe
This bread pudding recipe has been a total labor of love! I tested it multiple times, tweaking little things here and there until it was just right. Here is why you’re going to love it:
Perfected through testing: Honestly, I almost gave up on this recipe at one point because it kept turning out too dry and lacking flavor. What was supposed to be on my ‘easy recipes’ list was so hard to get right! Then I realized the secret was all in the bread-to-custard ratio. Once I added way more custard than I had been using before, everything changed. After several rounds of experimenting, this recipe now strikes the perfect balance between bread and custard. The bread soaks up just enough of that creamy mixture to give you a soft, melt-in-your-mouth center without turning mushy or being too dry!
Packed with flavor: Between the buttery base, the mix of milk and cream, and that cozy hint of cinnamon and vanilla, every bite is warm, nostalgic, and full of flavor. The custard gives it that velvety richness, and the optional raisins add a little pop of sweetness throughout. A combination of simple ingredients that results in an explosion of flavor!
Moist, not dry: The extra custard makes all the difference here, creating a pudding that’s tender and soft on the inside with golden, slightly crisp edges. It’s comfort in every bite.
The perfect use for day-old bread: Stale bread (white loaf bread in particular) works beautifully in this recipe (brioche and french bread supposedly work well in bread pudding as well, though I haven’t tried them in this recipe myself) — sturdy enough to hold its shape but soft enough to soak up all that custardy goodness. A simple pantry staple turned into something so cozy and delicious! Fresh bread doesn’t work as well, as it’s just a tad too soft and will likely give you a mushy pudding.
Once you try it, you’ll see why this is my favorite version yet.
For more pudding recipes, check out my all-time favorite sticky toffee pudding recipe or for something a little more zesty, my lemon pudding cakes!
How to Make Bread Pudding
You can find the full list of ingredients for this bread pudding recipe in the recipe card at the end of the blog post (for easy navigation, hit the ‘jump to recipe’ button at the top of the blog post). Here is a quick visual breakdown of the recipe (recipe video is also provided in the recipe card below).
Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) conventional and lightly grease an 8×8-inch square baking dish or pan that’s about 3 inches deep. Other-sized dishes (like a casserole dish) may work too, you just want to make sure they aren’t too long or wide so you have a tall, thick bread pudding (otherwise it’ll overbake). Set it aside for now.
Cut your day-old sliced bread into roughly 1-inch cubes and set it aside. To ensure there is enough bread to balance with the custard, I like to weigh my bread and make sure I have around 260g. Too much bread and the pudding can turn out dry, too little and it can become soggy.
Next, make the custard. In a saucepan over medium heat, add the butter, milk, and cream. Stir until the mixture just begins to simmer — you don’t want it to boil. Once it’s hot, remove it from the heat and set it aside to cool slightly.
While it’s cooling, grab a large bowl and whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon until well combined. Then, while continuously whisking, slowly pour the warm liquid mixture into the egg mixture to temper the eggs.
Once everything is combined, add in your cubed bread and raisins and gently fold them together until the bread is evenly coated in the custard. Do not overmix otherwise the bread will start to break. Let the mixture sit for 2 minutes so the bread can soak up the custard.
Pour mixture into your prepared baking dish and spread it out evenly. Bake for about 27 to 30 minutes, or until the edges are golden and set but the center still has a slight wobble — it’ll continue to set as it cools.
Once baked, let it cool for about 15 minutes, then dust the top with powdered sugar and serve warm. It’s delicious on its own or with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream on the side!
How to Store Bread Pudding Leftovers
If you have any leftovers (which is rare in my house!), make sure to let the bread pudding cool completely before storing. Once cooled, cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap or transfer individual portions into an airtight container. It will keep well in the fridge for up to a week.
When you’re ready to enjoy it again, you can either reheat individual slices in the microwave, or warm the whole dish in the oven until heated through (just make sure not to overbake it). If it’s looking a little dry, you can drizzle a splash of milk or cream over the top before reheating to bring back that soft, custardy texture.
Bread Pudding Recipe (Rich & Custardy!)
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
- 7 heaped cups (260 g) day old bread - cut into 1-inch cubes. White, loaf style bread works best.
- 6 tbsps (85 g) unsalted butter
- 2 cups (480 g) whole milk
- 1 cup (240 g) heavy cream
- ⅔ cup (133 g) white granulated sugar
- ½ tsp salt - omit if using salted butter
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract/essence
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 large eggs - room temperature
- ¼ cup (41 g) raisins - optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) conventional (see note 1 if using a convection oven with a fan) and lightly grease an 8x8-inch square baking pan that’s about 3 inches deep. Set it aside for now.
- Cut your day-old sliced bread into roughly 1-inch cubes and set it aside. To ensure there is enough bread to balance with the custard, I like to weigh my bread and make sure I have around 260g. Too much bread and the pudding can turn out dry, too little and it can become soggy.
- Next, make the custard. In a saucepan over medium heat, add the butter, milk, and cream. Stir until the mixture just begins to simmer — you don’t want it to boil. Once it’s hot, remove it from the heat and set it aside to cool slightly.
- While it’s cooling, grab a large bowl and whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon until well combined. Then, while continuously whisking, slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture to temper the eggs.
- Once everything is combined, add in your cubed bread and raisins and gently fold it together until the bread is evenly coated in the custard. Do not overmix otherwise the bread will start to break. Let the mixture sit for 2 minutes so the bread can soak up the custard.
- Pour the mixture into your prepared baking dish and spread it out evenly. Bake for about 27 to 30 minutes, or until the edges are golden and set but the center still has a slight wobble — it’ll continue to set as it cools.
- Once baked, let it cool for about 15 minutes, then dust the top with powdered sugar and serve warm. It’s delicious on its own or with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream on the side!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
