This recipe is proof-positive that leftover bread can easily be converted to dessert without much work. There’s room for customization here: Consider adding fresh or dried fruit or a combination of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cardamom. Bread pudding makes a great brunch dish, served with fresh fruit compote. Or add a handful of chocolate chips before baking for a decidedly more decadent outcome.
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan over low heat, warm milk, butter, vanilla, sugar and salt. Continue cooking just until butter melts; cool. Meanwhile, butter a 4-to-6-cup baking dish and fill it with the cubed bread.
The New York Times Cooking
The New York Times Cooking
Step 2
Add eggs to cooled milk mixture and whisk; pour mixture over bread.
Step 3
Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until custard is set but still a little wobbly and edges of bread have browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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FAQS
Wrap the baked pudding with plastic wrap, or tuck individual portions into an airtight container, then store in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Let the bread pudding cool completely. Leave the pudding in the baking dish or remove it, wrap it with plastic wrap, then again with aluminum foil and freeze for up to three months. Allow it to thaw in the refrigerator, then reheat in a 350-degree oven until warmed through. You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave in 30-second intervals.
Assemble the pudding in the baking dish, cover it with plastic wrap, then refrigerate for up to two days before baking according to instructions.
5-6 cups of bread require more than 2 cups of milk & 2 eggs.
You can't fit 5-6 cups of bread in a 4-6 cup baking dish. So,
* 5-6 cups bread
* 1 quart milk
* 4 eggs
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
... in a 2.5-quart casserole dish.
Louisanova
Make sure to let the bread soak in the egg-milk mixture; about an hour or more is perfect. Then it will become a beautiful custard.
Kim
I agree that letting the mixture soak for a while improves the result. Also doubling the eggs, 4 rather than 2, makes for a better custards pudding.
DoughNYC
I used half a white loaf, 5 eggs (3 whole, two yolks), 2 1/2 cups of oat milk (all I have usually), eyed the brown sugar in my pour, and toasted what’s essentially my 5 spice powder in browned butter until fragrant. Then before baking I added macerated berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries), about a cup, on top. Let it sit overnight and made it the next day. Perfect.
BengaliLady
Made it exactly as written and had great results . Don’t worry if bread soaks up almost all the custard before baking , it doesn’t mean not enough custard. This happened to me and made me nervous but turned out good ! It was perfect - not soggy and not dry and received rave reviews at my potluck poetry reading where I bring bread pudding often . I let it sit in the fridge for a few hours before baking . Not sure if that helped . Chocolate chips were very much a welcome addition . The comments make it seem like something is wrong with the recipe …I am sure more custard would have also made a great bread pudding but this one was fab as written .
Sue Lin
For a more diabetic friendly recipe, I mixed one package of Hero Hawaiian rolls with 3 slices of Japanese milk bread, and family friends thought it was delicious dessert. I topped with whipped cream and 4-5 organic raspberries to balance the sweetness of the bread pudding with the subtle tartness of the fruit. Our we prefer less sweet desserts, so this worked well.
