Description
This classic Custard Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce is a comforting dessert made from stale French bread soaked in a rich custard mixture, baked to a golden perfection. The custard is creamy and infused with vanilla and optional orange zest, resulting in a moist and flavorful treat perfect for special occasions or cozy dinners.
Ingredients
Scale
Bread
- 16 oz loaf of French bread (cubed into 1.5 inch pieces, dried or toasted)
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
- Prepare the Bread: Cube the loaf of French bread into 1.5 inch cubes. Ensure the bread is dry for best results by lightly toasting the cubes in the oven or leaving them out for a couple of days until stale.
- Make the Custard Mixture: In a large bowl, whisk together whole milk, heavy cream, eggs, vanilla, sugar, and optional orange zest until the eggs are fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth without separated egg whites.
- Combine Bread and Custard: Pour the custard mixture into a large glass baking dish and add the dried bread cubes. Gently toss to coat all the bread with the custard. Cover the dish and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours to allow the bread to absorb the custard.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Water Bath: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cover the baking dish tightly with foil. Place it into a larger roasting pan and pour hot water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the baking dish to create a water bath that prevents curdling.
- Bake the Pudding: Bake the custard bread pudding covered for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Then remove the foil and continue baking until the crust is golden brown and crunchy, watching carefully to avoid burning.
- Serve: Serve warm with vanilla sauce and optionally berries or caramel sauce for added flavor and presentation.
Notes
- Use a glass 2-quart baking dish for even cooking.
- Allow the bread cubes to dry completely for better custard absorption.
- The water bath is essential to prevent the custard from curdling and ensure gentle, even baking.
- You can substitute orange zest with lemon zest or omit zest altogether if preferred.
- For a richer flavor, you may use half-and-half instead of whole milk.
- The pudding can be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated before baking to save time.
- Use fresh eggs and high-quality vanilla extract for best taste.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Cholesterol: 220 mg
