Bread Pudding with Vanilla (Printable Version)

Tender cubes soaked in spiced custard baked golden and topped with warm vanilla sauce.

# What You Need:

→ Bread Pudding

01 - 6 cups day-old bread, cubed (French or brioche recommended)
02 - 2 cups whole milk
03 - 1 cup heavy cream
04 - 4 large eggs
05 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
07 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
08 - 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
09 - 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
10 - 1/4 tsp salt
11 - 1/2 cup raisins (optional)

→ Warm Vanilla Sauce

12 - 1 cup whole milk
13 - 1/2 cup heavy cream
14 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
15 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
16 - 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
17 - 1 large egg yolk
18 - 1 tbsp vanilla extract
19 - Pinch of salt

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
02 - Place bread cubes in the prepared dish. Sprinkle raisins evenly over the bread if using.
03 - In a large bowl, whisk together milk, cream, eggs, sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until fully combined.
04 - Pour custard mixture evenly over bread cubes. Press down gently to ensure bread absorbs liquid. Let stand for 10 minutes.
05 - Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden and set but still slightly soft in center.
06 - While pudding bakes, melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook 1-2 minutes until bubbling but not browned.
07 - Gradually whisk in milk and cream until smooth. Add sugar and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened about 5 minutes.
08 - Whisk egg yolk in small bowl. Slowly add few spoonfuls of hot sauce to yolk while whisking, then return mixture to saucepan.
09 - Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract. Keep warm until serving.
10 - Serve warm bread pudding topped with warm vanilla sauce.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The warm vanilla sauce turns every bite into something that feels like being hugged from the inside
  • Its essentially a fancy French toast you can serve to eight people without standing at the stove
02 -
  • Letting the bread rest in the custard is the difference between bread pudding and bread chunks floating in scrambled eggs
  • The sauce looks terrifyingly thin right up until the last 30 seconds, then suddenly transforms into velvet
03 -
  • Tempering the egg yolk properly prevents scrambled bits in your vanilla sauce
  • If the pudding browns too quickly, tent it loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes

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