Custard Bread Pudding Recipe

This easy oven-baked Custard Bread Pudding Recipe is rich, velvety, and can be made with or without raisins. It is an old-fashioned bread pudding with an Italian bread base that’s perfect for breakfast, brunch or dessert.

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Old fashioned, New England style bread pudding is one of my favorite classic desserts. My mother in law is the one who first introduced me to this recipe when I was just 15 years old.

At first, the thought of “bread pudding” was so odd to me. How could bread possibly be considered a pudding? I was slightly grossed out by the thought.

However, at first bite I was hooked! She made her bread pudding recipe with raisins, but since my kids are a little picky, I opted to leave them off for this pudding. I will be sharing a few different versions of bread pudding in the next few weeks though.

What is Bread Pudding?

Bread pudding is a recipe that features chopped up bread that is soaked in a custard mixture. It has a similar concept and taste to french toast, but is not made over a griddle.

It’s a delicious and easy to make custard-based dessert, and it sits among the ranks of some of my favorite custard based desserts like custard pie!

Bread pudding is typically oven-baked, although there are some slow-cooker and pressure cooked recipes available.

Bread Pudding a Dessert?

Despite it being a classic New England dessert, bread pudding can also double as a brunch or breakfast meal. Like pie, this sweet dessert can be enjoyed any time of day.

Best Bread for Bread Pudding

The beauty of bread pudding is that you can use pretty much any bread to make it. For this recipe, I used a thick, day-old Italian loaf. You can also use sweet bread, challah, stale American bread, Portuguese Bread, or anything you have on-hand.

However, you do want to make sure you have at least one pound of bread to keep your custard to bread ratio good.

How to Make Bread Pudding from Scratch

To make bread pudding, there are some ingredients you will need to have on-hand to make this recipe.

• 1 lb of day old Italian Bread pulled apart into small pieces.
• 5 eggs slightly beaten
• 4 cups of whole milk
• 1 tablespoon + 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp of nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of whole milk

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.
2. Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with nonstick spray.
3. Pull apart your bread into smaller chunks and add them to the casserole dish.
4. Using an immersion blender, lightly blend the eggs, milk, extract, sugar and spices.
5. Add the custard to the bread and use a spoon to mix all the bread with custard.
6. Allow the bread to soak up the custard for at least 5 minutes before baking.
7. Bake for 50-55 minutes. The center of the bread pudding should be springy. Use a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean when inserted.
8. Allow pudding to sit for 10 minutes before icing.
9. For icing, mix the milk, powdered sugar, and 1 tsp of vanilla extract until thick and creamy.
10. Pour over the bread pudding and enjoy warm.

What to Serve with Bread Pudding?

This bread pudding is delicious with the icing and can be eaten as is. But, it also tastes delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or real whipped cream.

Does Bread Pudding Need to be Refrigerated?

This bread pudding recipe needs to be refrigerated. It can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To reheat, place a portion in the microwave and heat for 1 minute or until warm.

Recipe Video

Custard Recipes You’ll Love

• Custard Pie
• Pumpkin Custard
• Mini Pumpkin Pies
• Vegetable Quiche
• Pumpkin Pie from Scratch

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5 from 4 votes

Custard Bread Pudding Recipe

This oven-baked Custard Bread Pudding Recipe is rich, velvety, and can be made with or without raisins. It is an old-fashioned bread pudding recipe with an Italian bread base that is perfect for brunch or a dessert.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 servings

Calories 416cal

Author Amy Desrosiers

Cost $4

Equipment

• 9 x 13 casserole dish
• oven
• immersion blender

Ingredients

• 1 lb Italian Bread pulled apart into small pieces
• 5 eggs slightly beaten
• 4 cups whole milk
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup sugar

Icing

• 1 1/2 tbsps. whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.  
• Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with nonstick spray. 
• Pull apart your bread into smaller chunks and add them to the casserole dish.  
• Using an immersion blender, lightly blend the eggs, milk, extract, sugar and spices.  
• Add the custard to the bread and use a spoon to mix all the bread with custard. 
•  Allow the bread to soak up the custard for at least 5 minutes before baking. 
• Bake for 50-55 minutes. The center of the bread pudding should be springy. Use a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean when inserted. 
• Allow pudding to sit for 10 minutes before icing.
• For icing, mix the milk, powdered sugar, and 1 tsp of vanilla extract until thick and creamy. 
• Pour over the bread pudding and enjoy warm.   

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 416cal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 203mg | Potassium: 215mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 231IU | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 1mg