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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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
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.
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.
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.
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 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
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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Kitchen Essentials
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
Instructions
Old Fashioned Bread Pudding
- In large bowl, mix eggs, sugar, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins, and salt.
- Stir in milk
- Cube the 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.
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.
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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.
You can find Victoria crocheting, quilting, and creating recipes. She has cooked in restaurants for over 20 years, including many larger parties. She learned to crochet when she was just 11 years old and has been crocheting ever since; over 50 years now. Over 40 years ago, she loved her first class in sewing and continues to hone her skills in quilting. Many have enjoyed the handmade gifts over the years. In her professional career, she has worked in management in a wide variety of businesses including higher education as a dean of a division. All the while attending college part-time to achieve her doctorate in higher education with an emphasis in e-learning.
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.