Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce
This is what you make when you've got day-old bread sitting on the counter and you want to turn it into something special. It's soft, custardy, and sweet with that warm vanilla sauce poured right over the top. Folks will be scraping their bowls clean and asking if there's any more hiding in the kitchen.
Cooking tutorial
Ingredients
- 1 loaf day-old French bread or regular white bread (about 10 to 12 cups torn into pieces)
- 4 cups whole milk
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup raisins (optional, but they're real good in there)
- 3 tbsp butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- For the vanilla sauce: 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1
Heat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish real good with butter. Tear up that bread into bite-sized pieces and spread them out in the baking dish.
- 2
In a big bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, 2 cups sugar, 2 tablespoons vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg until it's all smooth. Pour in that melted butter and whisk it in.
- 3
Scatter the raisins over the bread if you're using them, then pour that egg mixture right over top. Press the bread down gently with a spoon so it all soaks up that custard real nice. Let it sit for about 10 minutes.
- 4
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the top is golden brown and the middle is set but still a little jiggly. It'll firm up as it cools down.
- 5
While it's baking, make your vanilla sauce. Melt the stick of butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then stir in 1 cup sugar and the heavy cream. Bring it to a gentle boil, stirring constantly, and let it cook for about 2 minutes until it thickens up a bit. Take it off the heat and stir in that tablespoon of vanilla.
- 6
Let the bread pudding cool for about 10 minutes, then cut it into squares and serve it warm with that vanilla sauce poured right over the top.
Pro Tips
- ★Day-old bread works best because it soaks up all that custard without falling apart. If your bread is fresh, just leave it out on the counter for a few hours or toast it lightly in the oven first.
- ★Don't skip letting the bread soak in that egg mixture before baking. Those 10 minutes make all the difference between dry bread pudding and the kind that melts in your mouth.