How to Make the Best Bread Pudding Recipe

Bread pudding is an easy bread-based dessert that is popular in many countries. Though different countries tend to vary their flavorings and ingredients, the basic ingredients include stale bread, milk or cream, eggs, and oil or butter.

Other ingredients will depend on whether the bread is meant to be sweet or savory, but popular additions include sugar, syrup, honey, dried fruit, nuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, and vanilla. The bread is then soaked in liquids, mixed with other ingredients, and baked.

Savory puddings may be served as main courses while sweet puddings are typically eaten as desserts.

Because bread pudding is so popular and versatile, every good cook will need a variety of recipes in their arsenal. If you are thinking of creative ways to prepare bread pudding, don't fret! We provide recipes your family and friends are sure to love.

Our recipes come with clear step-by-step directions giving cooks what they need to make a successful dish. Some recipes will be quick to make while others take a bit of preparation, but when it comes to variety, we have bread puddings that are sure to be pleasing to any palette. Choose from Mexican Bread Pudding, New Orleans Bread Pudding, Chocolate Bread Pudding, Slow Cooker Bread Pudding, and more.

Bread Pudding Around the World

The recipe for bread pudding varies in different countries. Here is some of what you can expect when tasting this dessert in different parts of the world. 

• Belgium: Bread pudding is made with stale bread, brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins or apples.
• Canada: The Canadians use maple syrup in their bread pudding recipes.
• Hong Kong: In this part of the world, bread pudding is served with a vanilla cream dressing.
• Puerto Rico: This island leaves its bread to soak in coconut milk overnight. It is then made into bread pudding served with guava rum sauce.
• Cuba: Cubans call their bread pudding ‘pudin’ and they serve it with a guava marmalade. 
• Germany: The Germans use black bread to create a black bread pudding. 
• Hungary: In Hungary, bread pudding is known as Máglyarakás and it is served with whipped egg whites on top of it. 
• Malaysia: In Malaysia, bread pudding is served with custard sauce. 
• Britain: In Britain, rather than adding the bread to the mixture, the recipe calls for layering where you layer the white bread with the other ingredients and then bake the dish to perfection. There is no sauce added to the recipe, although you can make some and add it if you wish. 
• United States: In the United States, bread pudding is usually served with some sort of sweet sauce like whisky, rum, or caramel. It is also often topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. It is typically sprinkled with powdered sugar and served in warm squares or sliced. 

Tips for Making Bread Pudding

If you are making bread pudding, some say you should toast the bread in advance. This will serve to dry out the bread, making it better able to absorb the mix. It will also give the pudding a better texture.

Another tip is to let the pudding sit for a while before baking it. This will ensure that the bread truly soaks up the flavor to make the pudding as tasty as possible.

Finally, it is difficult to do a toothpick test on bread pudding as the middle will be wet, even when the bread is ready. A golden brown top and a center that jiggles but doesn’t wiggle will be indicators that your pudding is done.

There is no doubt that people love bread pudding, but reasons may vary. For a lot of us, it’s nostalgia. A yearning for a simpler time when dessert was made from a few common kitchen ingredients. It may also be the way it brings everyone into the kitchen, with the smell of cinnamon and vanilla fresh from the oven. Whatever the reason this bread pudding becomes your number one comfort food, savor every bite. Nothing beats warm bread pudding on a cold or rainy night. It is truly the soul-satisfying treat that most people crave.

What to Have With Bread Pudding

If bread pudding isn't enough on its own to satisfy you, we've got some suggestions for what you can pair with it. Each of these suggestions are excellent complements to bread pudding, and are sure to be loved by all.

A glass of hot buttered rum is a great accompaniment to bread pudding, especially if you used a rum-based sauce. Hot buttered rum is relatively easy to make, although it isn't the cheapest due to the cost of rum. It's okay to go for a cheaper bottle of rum if you'll be serving this to a lot of people. Of course, this drink is only appropriate for the legal drinkers!

For the younger crowd, consider serving some cinnamon apple cider instead. This warm, cozy drink will amplify the appeal of bread pudding tenfold. Plus, apple cider is easy and cheap to come by in the fall. Pour yourself a glass and enjoy!

Croissants are a nice food to serve alongside bread pudding, if you're looking for something extra to add to the menu. Croissants are fluffy, and when served warm will pair excellently with this bread pudding recipe. You can make them from a can, or make your own from scratch. Which option you choose depends on your budget, as well as how much time and energy you have.

If you enjoy this recipe, make sure to check out our Apple Bread Pudding Recipe and our Lemon Bread Pudding Recipe.

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The image featured at the top of this post is ©Hesti Septini Rumlus/ via Getty Images.