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Old Fashion Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce

I have made this old fashion bread pudding with vanilla sauce for decades. Ultimate comfort food. I mean, what’s not to like:  bread, egg custard, plump raisins, and vanilla sauce.

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Old Fashion Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce
Old Fashion Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce

Bread Pudding is so easy to make. Just soak bread cubes with eggs, sugar, and milk, then bake. This classic dessert is perfect for any special meal or just any time you are craving a comfort food.

Old fashioned bread pudding recipe is a family favorite. This is a very old bread pudding recipe from the family archives that is wonderfully creamy and absolutely scrumptious!

A Recipe Perfect for Stale Bread

Old Fashioned Bread Pudding with Vanilla Custard Sauce
Old Fashioned Bread Pudding with Vanilla Custard Sauce

It happens to all of us. After a few days, the fresh baked bread is no longer fresh. It can become dry, crumbly, and stale.

However, that is the perfect bread to use in this mouth watering recipe.

My father-in-law loved this recipe. Whenever I made this he just had a pure look of joy on his face while he was savoring his piece. I think it reminded him of his mother’s cooking and took him back to his childhood, because he would always start reminiscing when he was eating this.

Bread Pudding Served with Warm Sauce
Bread Pudding Served with Warm Sauce

What is Bread Pudding?

If you have never tried bread pudding, you are in for a treat. Bread pudding is simply cubed stale bread that is soaked in a mixture of milk, sugar, and eggs; then baked. The result is something like a stack of French toast with custard.

For me, the crowning touch is the sauce.

While I made this with a vanilla sauce today, it can be sauced with a caramel syrup, bourbon sauce, and just about any other delicious sauce that you love. It is the element that truly makes this a decadent dessert.

Fresh Baked Brunch Dessert
Fresh Baked Brunch Dessert

Learn How to Make Bread Pudding

The Best Bread for the Recipe

Day-old bread is perfect for this recipe. Stale bread holds its shape when soaking up the custard mixture. Whereas, fresh bread can fall apart and turn to mush rather quickly when combined with the milk and egg mixture. Therefore, a sturdy stale bread is just perfect.

If you want to make this but no stale bread is in sight. No worries. Just cube the bread and place on a half sheet pan, heat in the oven on 300 degrees Fahrenheit until the bread has dried. I generally toss the bread after 10 minutes and bake for another 10 minutes. However, keep an eye on your bread cubes as they can overcook rather quickly on that second 10 minutes. Your time might be a bit shorter.

Serving the Classic Bread Pudding
Serving the Classic Bread Pudding

Sturdy breads are a good choice. I like to use cottage bread or something even hardier like

  • Brioche
  • Italian
  • Ciabatta
  • Sourdough
  • French bread.

The bread should be a good tasting bread that you like. You could also mix breads. Maybe you have been saving some stale pieces in the freezer.

The bread needs to hold up to the egg and milk mixture as all of the custard goodness will be soaked up.

Mix milk, sugar, eggs, and any other fruits, nuts, or spices you like to add. Combine with the bread cubes and let the mixture soak up the liquid for a bit before baking.

The bread pudding is done when the edges start to brown and pull away from the sides of the pan.

Fruit and Nuts for Recipe
Fruit and Nuts for Recipe

Fruit and Nut Alternatives for This Dessert

This recipe uses raisins; however, there are so many other fruit and nut options that would be very satisfying as well.

Hint: Soak the raisins or other dried fruit before adding. They will plump up and be so much better tasting. Soak them in a bit of water or even bourbon if you want to add a bit of boozy flavor.

  • Craisins
  • Dates
  • Peaches
  • Apples
  • Bananas
  • Pecans
  • Walnuts
  • Cashews
  • Pistachios
Dessert Served with Vanilla Sauce and Ice Cream
Dessert Served with Vanilla Sauce and Ice Cream

Serving This Bread Pudding Dessert

At our house, we all have our favorite ways to eat this dessert. I like it both warm and cold with the vanilla sauce. Sometimes, I will sprinkle walnuts or pecans on top for extra flavor.

My husband likes it warm with the vanilla sauce and vanilla ice cream.

Yet, our daughter likes a little of the vanilla sauce and whipping cream.

Old Recipe Book

This original recipe was from the Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book – the old version. I tweaked it slightly and added the vanilla sauce. However, this cook book is still my go-to recipe book and has been for decades.

Old Fashion Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce
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Old Fashion Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce

I have made this old fashion bread pudding with vanilla sauce for decades. Ultimate comfort food. I mean, what’s not to like:  bread, egg custard, plump raisins, and vanilla sauce.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: bread, Comfort food, Dessert, easy, Make ahead
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 944kcal

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Ingredients

Bread Pudding

  • 4 Cups Milk
  • 1/2 Cup Butter Melted
  • 4 Eggs Slightly beaten
  • 1 Cup Sugar
  • 1 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 Tsp. Ground Nutmeg
  • 1/4 Tsp. Salt
  • 12 Cups Bread Cubed. About 12 slices
  • 1 Cup Raisins

Vanilla Sauce

  • 1 Cup Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup Water
  • 1 Tsp. Vanilla
  • 2 Tsp. Corn Starch

text ingredients

Instructions

Old Fashioned Bread Pudding

  • In large bowl, mix eggs, sugar, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins, and salt.
    Sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt
  • Stir in milk
    Adding Milk to the mixture
  • Cube the bread.
    cubed bread
  • Stir the bread in the milk mixture. Let the bread soak up the milk mixture a few minutes before pouring into greased 9 X 13 pan.
  • Bake uncovered 45 to 60 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit or until knife inserted 1 inch from edge comes out clean.
    Old Fashioned Bread Pudding

Vanilla Sauce

  • While the bread pudding is cooling, make the vanilla sauce. Add the sugar, cold water, vanilla, and corn starch to a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, then remove from heat. 
    Vanilla Sauce

Your Own Private Notes

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 944kcal | Carbohydrates: 168g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 1328mg | Potassium: 666mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 52g | Vitamin A: 221IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 447mg | Iron: 9mg
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I hope that you liked this recipe. If you are looking for more ideas on what to make, here are a few other recipes that you may enjoy.

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Maxine

Monday 11th of May 2020

This sounds yummy! Can I put 35% cream in the sauce?

patternprincess1

Monday 11th of May 2020

I think cream would be wonderful in the sauce. I would add it once the sauce is off the heat though so it doesn't curdle.

Sandy Plumlee

Saturday 9th of May 2020

Sounds wonderful!! What is the oven temperature?

patternprincess1

Saturday 9th of May 2020

Thank you for asking. I have it in the video and skipped over this little detail on the recipe card. It is 400 degrees Fahrenheit. I hope you get a chance to make this delicious dessert.

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