Bread Pudding Recipe: Custardy, Golden, With Whiskey Sauce
To make bread pudding, soak day-old bread cubes in a sweetened egg-and-cream custard, then bake at 350°F for 45–50 minutes until set and golden. A simple whiskey or vanilla sauce poured over the top finishes it.
There's a restaurant near my old office that makes a bread pudding I thought about between visits more often than I want to admit out loud. I finally decided to figure out what they were doing and make it at home. I was confident this would take one attempt.
It took four. The first attempt used fresh sandwich bread, which baked up bouncy and weirdly spongy instead of custardy. The second I used French bread that was too fresh — same problem, slightly denser. The third I actually used stale bread, which is correct, but didn't press it into the custard long enough before baking. It came out with dry bread on top and wet custard on the bottom, which is two separate problems existing in one dish.
The fourth attempt I let the torn bread soak in the custard for thirty minutes before it went in the oven. That was the one. The bread absorbs the egg-cream mixture completely so the whole thing bakes into something unified — golden on top, soft and custardy through the center, nothing dry or wet in a way that wasn't supposed to be.
The whiskey sauce is not negotiable. It goes on warm, right before serving, and it is what makes this taste like a decision you made on purpose. I no longer think about the restaurant version nearly as often.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf (about 1 lb) day-old French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (roughly 10 cups)
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 large eggs
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup raisins (optional)
- For the Whiskey Sauce:
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 3–4 tablespoons bourbon whiskey (adjust to taste)
- Pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- 1Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray.
- 2Spread the bread cubes evenly in the prepared baking dish. If using raisins, scatter them over and between the bread cubes now.
- 3In a large bowl, whisk together the whole milk, heavy cream, eggs, granulated sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until smooth and fully combined.
- 4Pour the custard mixture evenly over the bread cubes. Press the bread down gently with your hands or a spatula so every cube is saturated. Let the bread soak for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, pressing down once or twice during that time. Do not skip this step —? it is the difference between bread pudding and custardy bread pudding.
- 5Bake uncovered at 350°F for 45–50 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and the center is set. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean with no liquid custard. The edges will be slightly puffed and beginning to pull away from the pan.
- 6While the pudding bakes, make the whiskey sauce. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth. Remove from heat for one minute, then whisk in the beaten egg quickly and continuously so it tempers into the sauce rather than scrambling.
- 7Return the saucepan to low heat and stir constantly for 2–3 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and stir in the bourbon and a pinch of salt. Taste and adjust bourbon as desired. The sauce should be pourable and glossy.
- 8Let the bread pudding rest for 10 minutes after removing from the oven. Serve warm, spooned into bowls or cut into squares, with whiskey sauce poured over the top.
Pro Tips
- Day-old or slightly stale bread is non-negotiable. Fresh bread has too much moisture and will not absorb the custard correctly —? you will end up with something soft in all the wrong ways. If your bread is fresh, cube it and leave it out uncovered overnight, or toast the cubes at 300°F for 15 minutes.
- Press the bread down into the custard. Then press it again. I cannot overstate this. Every cube needs full contact with the liquid or you will have dry islands in a custardy sea, and nobody ordered that.
- The whiskey sauce is cooked, not raw —? the egg is tempered into the hot butter-sugar mixture, so it is safe and smooth. If you skip the bourbon, replace it with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon heavy cream. It will still be excellent, just less of a conversation starter.
Substitutions
Storage Instructions
Cover leftover bread pudding tightly and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Store whiskey sauce separately in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Reheat individual portions of pudding in the microwave for 60–90 seconds or in a 325°F oven covered with foil for 15 minutes. Rewarm sauce in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring, or in the microwave in 20-second intervals.
Make Ahead
Assemble the bread pudding through the soaking step, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight before baking. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking and proceed as directed. The whiskey sauce can be made up to 1 week ahead and refrigerated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my bread pudding come out soggy in the middle?
Soggy centers are almost always caused by underbaking or bread that was too fresh and couldn't absorb properly. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean with no liquid custard —? this usually takes the full 45–50 minutes at 350°F. If the top browns too fast, tent loosely with foil and keep baking until the center is set.
What is the best bread to use for bread pudding?
Day-old French bread is the classic standard —? it's sturdy enough to absorb custard without disintegrating. Brioche and challah produce a richer, more dessert-forward result. Sourdough adds a slight tang that works beautifully. Whatever you use, it must be dry or stale. Fresh bread will not absorb correctly and leaves the pudding gummy rather than custardy.
Can I make bread pudding without alcohol in the sauce?
Absolutely. Replace the bourbon with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1–2 tablespoons heavy cream. The sauce will still be buttery, glossy, and rich —? it just won't have the warm kick of whiskey. You can also flavor it with a small pinch of cinnamon or a drop of maple extract for a different profile.
Can I make bread pudding ahead of time?
Yes, and it actually benefits from it. Assemble the pudding and let it soak overnight in the refrigerator before baking. The bread absorbs even more deeply and the custard sets beautifully. Remove it from the fridge 30 minutes before you bake to take the chill off. The whiskey sauce also keeps refrigerated for up to a week and reheats easily.
How do I store and reheat leftover bread pudding?
Refrigerate leftovers covered for up to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 60–90 seconds or place the whole dish covered in foil in a 325°F oven for 15 minutes. Add a small splash of cream before reheating if the pudding looks dry —? it revives nicely. The whiskey sauce should be stored separately and rewarmed over low heat.
Can I make a dairy-free version of this bread pudding?
Yes. Substitute full-fat oat milk or canned coconut milk for the whole milk, and use coconut cream in place of heavy cream. For the sauce, use a good dairy-free butter. The texture will be slightly different —? less rich —? but it bakes up well. Avoid thin plant milks like rice milk, which don't provide enough fat for proper custard structure.
How do I know when the bread pudding is done baking?
Look for a deep golden-brown top with edges that are beginning to pull away from the pan. Insert a thin knife or toothpick into the center —? it should come out clean with no liquid custard clinging to it. The center should jiggle very slightly when you shake the pan, like set gelatin, not like liquid. That takes 45–50 minutes at 350°F in most standard ovens.
How many people does this bread pudding serve, and can I scale it?
This recipe serves 10 generously from a 9x13-inch pan. To halve the recipe, use an 8x8-inch square pan and reduce baking time by about 10 minutes, checking for doneness at the 35-minute mark. To double it, use two 9x13-inch pans and bake separately for even heat distribution. The whiskey sauce scales easily —? just adjust the bourbon to taste.