Bread Pudding Vanilla Raisins (Printable Version)

A comforting dessert of bread cubes soaked in vanilla custard with raisins, baked until golden, topped with warm creamy sauce.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pudding

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

→ Sauce

12 - 1 cup heavy cream
13 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
14 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
15 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
16 - Pinch of salt

# How To Make:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter.
02 - Place cubed bread evenly in the prepared dish and sprinkle raisins over the top.
03 - In a large bowl, whisk together whole milk, heavy cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and melted butter until smooth.
04 - Pour the custard mixture evenly over the bread and raisins. Press lightly to ensure absorption. Let stand for 10 minutes.
05 - Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until puffed, golden, and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
06 - While baking, combine heavy cream, sugar, and butter in a small saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring until sugar dissolves and mixture simmers. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and a pinch of salt.
07 - Serve the baked pudding warm, drizzled with the prepared sauce.

# Helpful Hints:

01 -
  • It transforms stale bread into something elegant—the kind of alchemy that makes you feel resourceful in the kitchen.
  • The warm vanilla custard with cinnamon and nutmeg tastes like comfort, the kind of dessert that makes people linger at the table longer.
  • You can have it ready in just over an hour, and most of that time the oven does the work for you.
02 -
  • Don't skip the resting period after pouring the custard—those 10 minutes make the difference between bread pudding and bread soup.
  • Use actually stale bread, not fresh bread cut into cubes; fresh bread will disintegrate into mush, while stale bread holds its shape and absorbs the custard evenly.
  • A knife inserted in the center should come out mostly clean but not completely dry—slight wobble is your friend, as the pudding continues to set as it cools.
03 -
  • If you accidentally over-bake it and it's a bit too firm, warm it gently in a low oven with a little extra sauce drizzled on top to restore moisture.
  • The pudding actually improves slightly if you let it cool for 10 minutes after baking before serving—it holds together better and the flavors meld more beautifully.
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