Our custard bread pudding is rich, creamy, and perfectly balanced with a golden top and soft, custardy center. Follow our simple tips for the best results every time!
If you're searching for a bread pudding that's rich, custardy, and irresistibly delicious, you've found the right one! After several trials of tweaking ratios and methods, we've created the most amazing bread pudding recipe to share with you!
You'll find the texture and flavor of this bread pudding are absolute perfection. The outer crust is crispy and crunchy, while the soft, rich, custard-like interior just melts in your mouth.
Why this Recipe Works
Through recipe testing, we found that the secret to the best bread pudding is ensuring the bread is thoroughly soaked with the custard base. Dry bread pudding results from dry bits of bread that haven't soaked up the liquid, so be sure to leave plenty of time for the creamy base to soak in.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Dry or stale bread - I used days old French bread but brioche, challah, or plain white bread would work too. Be sure to use a hearty, durable bread that's not too delicate.
- Whole milk - Milk forms the base of the custard mixture. Be sure to use whole milk for a creamy flavor.
- Heavy cream - Heavy cream is used to add a richer, creamier flavor that milk alone doesn't provide.
- Eggs - Eggs help the bread pudding set into a soft, custard-like texture.
How to Make Custard Bread Pudding - Step by Step Instructions
Dry the Bread
Start with old, dried-out bread and cut it into cubes. The drier the bread, the better since it'll absorb more of the custard mixture.
If you only have fresh bread, wait two or three days, or slice it up and lightly toast it in the oven to dry it out completely. Avoid any coloration while toasting.
Make the Custard Base
Mix together the milk, heavy cream, eggs, vanilla, and sugar to make a custard base. Pour this over the dried bread cubes.
Tip: Whisk the custard mixture until it's homogenous and you no longer see any separated egg whites. I whisked for about 6 - 7 minutes. Take your time.
Soak the Bread
Gently toss the bread cubes in the creamy mixture until they're completely coated. After about 15 minutes, the bread will get soft and break apart easily, so avoid mixing at this point.
Let the bread soak for at least 2 hours to make sure the custard is entirely soaked through but I recommend soaking overnight for better results.
Baking your Custard Bread Pudding
Place the baking dish in a water bath and bake the bread pudding until it's set and the crust becomes golden brown. Baking times will depend on how deep your baking dish is.
The best way to tell it's done is to insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, your custard is set. The center of the bread pudding should not feel soft or mushy - if it does, it's underbaked and needs more time in the oven. I baked mine for about an hour and a half, covered with foil.
For the golden brown crust, remove the foil and let the crust bake until it becomes crunchy and slightly caramelized.
Serving Suggestions
Let the bread pudding cool slightly before slicing, about 10 to 15 minutes. This allows for cleaner slices because the bread pudding firms up as it cools.
The inside of your bread pudding should be like custard and completely set. Note: If you see more moisture than you'd like, set it back in the oven and bake it longer. Loosely cover with foil if the crust starts to get too dark, and check every 5 - 10 minutes for doneness.
Serve it with any of the following:
- vanilla sauce (bread pudding sauce)
- raspberry sauce
- strawberry sauce
- cherry sauce
- blueberry compote
- fresh fruit
Why Use a Water Bath?
Custard bread pudding requires a water bath or bain marie.
A water bath is used to ensure even cooking throughout and prevent curdling of the custard. The water bath insulates the custard bread pudding from the direct heat of the oven, which is much higher than the water bath. This is important because the higher temperature of the oven can curdle the eggs in the custard mixture.
To prepare this, get out a large roasting pan. Cover the bread pudding with foil and set it inside the roasting pan. Next, pour water into the roasting pan until it reaches two-thirds up the bread pudding (cold water is fine). Do not skip this step or you'll end up with curdled bread pudding.
The photo below shows how the water bath ensures even, gradual cooking of the bread pudding. This results in a creamy, smooth texture rather than a curdled consistency. Pro tip: when baking any dish that calls for high egg content, like custards, cheesecakes, and bread puddings, a water bath is essential to prevent overcooking and cracking.
The Best Bread to Use
Breads with a firm, chewy texture are best for bread pudding because they hold up well and can soak up more custard compared to soft, delicate breads.
I recommend the following:
- French bread
- Brioche
- Challah
- Sourdough
- Panettone
Storage & Reheating Tips
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat on low to medium heat in the microwave until warmed through.
More recipes:
- Bakery Swiss Roll Cake Recipe
- Baked French Toast Casserole - Make Ahead Recipe
- Easy Sponge Cake
- Light and Fluffy Chiffon Cake
- Japanese Strawberry Shortcake
- Cherry Cheesecake
Recipe
Custard Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce
Equipment
☑ Ingredients
- 16 oz loaf of French bread - 454g
Custard Mixture:
- 3 ¾ cups whole milk
- 1 ½ cup heavy cream
- 7 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ¼ cup sugar
- Optional zest of ½ an orange
Instructions
Prepare the Bread
- Cube the loaf of bread into 1.5 inch cubes. Make sure the bread is dry for best results. I recommend lightly toasting the bread cubes in the oven or leaving it out for a couple of days until dry and stale.16 oz loaf of French bread
Custard Mixture
- In a large bowl, add the milk, heavy cream, eggs, vanilla, and sugar. Use a whisk to mix the custard well until the eggs are fully mixed in and the egg whites are no longer separated.3 ¾ cups whole milk, 1 ½ cup heavy cream, 7 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 ¼ cup sugar, Optional zest of ½ an orange
- Pour this mixture into a large glass baking dish and then add in the dried bread cubes. Gently toss together until all the bread is coated. You will see a lot of extra mixture, but this will be soaked up by the bread.
- Cover the baking dish and refrigerate it overnight or for at least 2 hours until all the custard mixture has been absorbed.
Bake
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare a water bath: Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and place it into a larger roasting pan. Pour in enough water to reach at least halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Do not skip this step or the custard will curdle.
- Bake for 1.5 hours covered or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove the foil and continue to bake until the crust gets golden brown and crunchy. Watch carefully to prevent burning.
- Serve with Bread Pudding Sauce and some berries or caramel sauce.
✎ Recipe Notes
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is an estimate, calculated using online tools.
Kelly McGraw Alvarado
So delicious! My husband is Puerto Rican and he ate almost all of the bread pudding!!! Making it again today
Kay
Do you think it would be possible to make this in a crockpot?
Shari G
My husband and I pick up day old breads from various grocery stores and deliver them to seniors, single moms, and homeless shelters. One stipulation is bags must be intact. If the bag or packaging is broken - we may keep it. Today we got some brioche bread. Would that work for this bread pudding recipe?
Jamie
Brioche would be fantastic! Just make sure it's dried out so it can absorb all of that custard base. Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Oscar
My family really enjoyed this bread pudding. It was super creamy and custardy. This was amazing.
Marissa
Amazing recipe! This is just like the bread pudding I used to have as a child. It's so good, literally the best!
Colleen
The best bread pudding out there! This is exactly what I was looking for. Good height, rich, and not dry at all. It was a huge hit.
Ramona
Oh my goodness! I'm loving this custard bread pudding and vanilla sauce. I can eat this all night! It tastes heavenly! Thanks for sharing this beauty!
Serena
It's hard to go wrong with French bread and custard! This recipe was delicious, I'm looking forward to making it again this weekend.
Riley
The best bread pudding. This is our favorite recipe. It is so rich and delicious. Is it possible to make half the amount for just two servings?
Josie
A wonderful and comforting dessert. My nana always added some nutmeg, so I did add a little but followed the recipe exactly otherwise. I have some left-over that I am about to warm up shortly, and I cannot wait! I definitely recommend the orange zest in the custard - delicious.
Lori
Can you use egg substitute
Carol
This looks delicious...My Mother in England, used to make a Bread & Butter pudding, spreading butter and marmalade on the white bread, and then soaking it in the egg custard...Wonderful Memories!
john lavell
Loved this recipe but halved it, and for us Brits half and half is same as single cream.
Jamie
Thanks John! Glad to hear you enjoyed this! 🙂
Conly
So, will a 9X13 dish work for this?
Lyly
1 1/4 cup half n half what's this suppose to mean??
What's ingredient ? Thanks
Jamie
Hi Lyly! Half and half is a dairy product that's richer than milk but lighter than heavy cream. It's roughly made up of half milk and half cream. I added a link to the recipe card that shows a photo of the product. Hope that helps!
Lore Keegan
Hi !l like your Recipe and will absolutely make it,what I like too know canI use all half and half instead of milk and maybe some diced apples ?
Dianne Sharp
This is the best Custard bread puddings ever. I added Some a Tsp of cinnamon, 1/2 Tsp Nutmeg, 1c. Pecans and some dried Cranberries to it. All I had was some wheat bread, some hot dog and Hamburger buns when I made it and it was so delicious. I just went and bought some real sour dough bread and I'm going to try the same thing with that.
L
I’m a huge bread pudding fan but hadn’t found a recipe to make at home that I enjoyed until now! I used oat milk for the most part, as I only had about a half cup of heavy cream. Used a dense yeasted bread (sourdough muesli) with black raisins and sprinkled additional layers of golden raisins, along with some cinnamon and nutmeg. I also added a few ounces of cream cheese to compensate for the missing cream.
Soaked overnight. My whole family loved it! Thanks for the recipe!
Jacquelline A Marshall
It's a very good recipe. However, I needed a 2 quart dish plus a one quart dish so clearly my math fell apart!