Custard Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce (2024)

Published: Jan 20, 2019 · Modified: May 24, 2021 by Jamie · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links · 89 Comments

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Indulge in the BEST custard bread pudding recipe! This rich, decadent, custard bread pudding is made with day old french bread and a creamy custard base!

This is the most AMAZING custard bread pudding recipe.The texture and flavor of this bread pudding is absolute perfection. The outer crust is crispy and crunchy while the soft, rich, custard-like interior just melts in your mouth. Make this with stale French bread and generously soak it overnight in the rich, creamy base to fully saturate the bread. You'll end up with the most decadent custard bread pudding that's sure to become a favorite!

Pairs perfectly with this Bread Pudding Sauce Recipe!

Try this Bread Pudding Sauce Recipe!

Tips for Making Custard Bread Pudding:

Start with old, dried out bread and cut it into cubes. The drier the better since that means it'll absorb more of the custard mixture. If you only have fresh bread, wait two or three days, or slice it up and lightly toast it in the oven to dry it out completely. Avoid any coloration while toasting, we just want it to be dry.

Mix together the custard mixture ingredients and pour it into a baking dish. You want to make sure the custard mixture is hom*ogenous so keep whisking until you no longer see any separated egg whites. I whisked for about 6 - 7 minutes. Afterwards, add it to a baking dish and then gently add your dried out bread cubes. At this point you can gently toss the bread cubes until they're completely covered. After about 15 minutes, they start getting soft and can break apart easily so avoid stirring at this point. I recommend letting the bread soak for at least 2 hours to make sure the custard is entirely soaked through. Overnight is even better.

Baking your Custard Bread Pudding:

Preheat your oven and cover the custard bread pudding with foil and set this inside a bigger roasting pan. Pour water into the roasting pan until the water reaches the halfway point of the bread pudding. Do not skip this step. This is called a water bath.

Why Use a Water Bath?

A water bath is used to ensure even cooking throughout and prevent curdling of the custard. The water bath insulates the custard bread pudding from the direct heat of the oven which is a much higher temperature than the water bath. This is important because the higher temperature of the oven can curdle the eggs in the custard mixture.

Bake it covered until your custard is set. This will depend on how deep your baking dish is. The best way to tell is to insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, your custard is set. I baked mine for about an hour and a half. Afterwards uncover and let the crust get crunchy and brown. It should look something like this:

Let your custard bread pudding sit for 10 minutes before slicing it, and serve yourself a generous slice. The inside of your bread pudding should be like custard and completely set. If you see more moisture than you'd like, reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F and bake it for a little bit longer uncovered. Loosely cover with foil if the crust starts to get too dark.

Recipe

Custard Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce

Indulge in the best custard bread pudding recipe! This rich, decadent, custard bread pudding is made with day old french bread and a creamy custard base!

5 from 258 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Equipment

Baking Dish - 2 quart

☑ Ingredients

▢ 16 oz loaf of french bread - 454g
▢ Bread Pudding Sauce - to serve on the side

Custard Mixture:

▢ 3 ¾ cups whole milk
▢ 1 ½ cup heavy cream
▢ 7 large eggs
▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
▢ 1 ¼ cup sugar
▢ Optional zest of ½ an orange

Instructions

Cube your loaf of bread into 1.5 inch cubes. Make sure your bread is dry, otherwise lightly toast your cubed bread in the oven or leave it out for a day or two.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for the custard mixture. Using a whisk, be sure to mix this well until all the eggs are fully mixed in. You shouldn't be able to see any separated egg whites.
Pour this mixture into a large baking dish and then add in the dried bread cubes. Gently toss until all the bread is coated. You will see a lot of extra mixture but this will be soaked up by the bread.
Cover the baking dish and leave it in the refrigerator overnight or at least 2 hours until all the custard mixture has been soaked up.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F
Cover your baking dish tightly with foil and place it into a large roasting pan and set it in a water bath that comes up halfway up the baking dish. Do not skip this step or the custard will curdle.
Bake for 1.5 hours covered or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Uncover your baking dish and continue to bake it in the roasting pan until the crust becomes browned and crispy.
Serve with Bread Pudding Sauce and some berries or caramel sauce.

✎ Recipe Notes

I baked this in a 2 quart baking dish.

Nutrition

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*Nutritional information is an estimate, calculated using online tools.