Easy Bread Pudding Recipe (2024)

This Easy Bread Pudding Recipe is made with Chocolate Chip Brioche Rolls and smothered in a warm vanilla sauce. It is the perfect winter treat and will make you want to cozy up next to the fireplace and enjoy a serving of the perfect Christmas dessert.

This recipe might just be one of the ones that I have worked hardest on for the entirety of my blog…. And I’m telling you: The results speak for themselves.

This bread pudding is INCREDIBLE. It’s easy to make and warm and a little gooey but a little crunchy and cinnamony.

And it’s delicious by itself, but then when you add the vanilla sauce to it… Oh. My. God. I could eat that vanilla sauce with a spoon right out of the pot.

Why Make this Recipe

1. A Unique Dessert: Sometimes cookies, cake, and ice cream as sweet treats can get boring. If you’ve been looking for a unique new dessert recipe to try without adding too much extra work onto your plate, this recipe is the way to do it!
2. Perfect for Winter: The warm, crispy, yet soft bread pudding slathered in a cinnamony syrup… If you’re not cuddled up next to the Christmas tree with the fireplace burning and eating some of this, you’re not doing it quite right! I don’t like winter, and this recipe almost makes me wish it would snow 😉
3. The Perfect Texture: It took a while, but I finally perfected how to get the dessert to have the perfect amount of moisture. It’s soft but not too runny, and the top has a little bit of crunch but it’s not too tough. Is it rude to say I think it’s perfect?

What Ingredients are in This Recipe?

1. Brioche Rolls: I made this easy bread pudding recipe with Bakerly’s chocolate chip brioche rolls! These rolls are perfect, as they already have chocolate chips built into them. If you don’t have access to Bakerly products, you can also use any other type of bread you have on hand. You will need about __ cups.
2. Heavy Cream: I use heavy whipping cream as the base for my vanilla sauce. This is the secret to a thick and luscious sauce that, ultimately, is the icing on top of this recipe (both figuratively and literally)
3. All Dairy: Make sure that all of the specified dairy ingredients are at room temperature. This is very important, as we are adding melted butter into the combination. If the wet ingredients are too cold, the melted butter will freeze back up into shards. In order to keep the butter our desired texture, the eggs, half and half, and whole milk MUST be at room temperature.

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Steps to Make this Recipe

Step 1: Prepare the Filling

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, half and half, whole milk, cinnamon, vanilla, baking soda and salt to the bowl. Mix until fully combined. Add the melted butter into the combination and mix again.

Place all toasted bread cubes in an ungreased 9×13 pan. I liked using a metal or a ceramic baking dish the best!

Pour the liquid mixture into the pan, and use a rubber spatula to stir the bread cubes around so that each cube is coated in the mixture. Allow the bread cubes to soak for about 15 minutes.

Step 2: Bake

Place in the oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and cover with aluminum foil. Cut slits in the top of the aluminum foil and then place the pan back into the oven for an additional 10 minutes.

The bread pudding should be set but not dried out. It should also not be too liquidy.

Remove and allow to rest for 10 minutes before eating.

Step 3: Make the Vanilla Sauce

Place all ingredients in a medium sized saucepan.

Bring to a low boil. Once boiling, start a timer. Whisk constantly for 10 minutes.

Pour directly onto bread pudding before serving. Enjoy!

Expert Tips

• This recipe is the perfect way to use up stale bread that you may have lying around at home. If you don’t have Chocolate Chip Brioche Rolls, that’s okay. You can also substitute any kind of bread you’d like and sprinkle chocolate chips into the filling.
• If you want to make this Easy Bread Pudding but don’t have any stale bread, you can easily make some. Simply cut the rolls into 8ths and allow to sit out on the counter for a day so that they are stale. Then, preheat an oven to 350 degrees and toast bread cubes for about 6-8 minutes, keeping a close eye on them. You want them to be toasted but not burnt. Your bread is now ready to use in your recipe!
• Many people enjoy additional add-ins to their bread pudding, including raisins, walnuts, and more. If you want to add some additional flavor to your bread pudding, go ahead and do it! Don’t forget to tell me in the comments what you tried.

Recipe FAQs

What’s Bread Pudding?

If you have this question, you are not alone! Bread pudding is a delicious dessert made with stale bread. The bread is soaked in a sugary custard and it is all baked in the oven. It’s best served warm especially with, you guessed it… the vanilla sauce.

Where did Bread Pudding Originate?

Another common question! Most people think that bread pudding is British in origin, but it actually goes back much further than that. Versions of bread pudding date back to Ancient Rome and Ancient Egypt.

In these times, food was scarce and it was unthinkable to waste anything… if bread went stale, it was common to find other uses for it, including stuffing, thickeners for soup, and bread pudding! With this, the shelf life of the fragile bread could be extended.

In the 18th century, bread pudding was often considered a great food to feed to sick people. This is because it was easy to digest, as the bread was soft and delicious.

Though bread pudding originally began as a food of the poorer people, it has now gained popularity in modern life; It is often served as a trendy dessert at fashionable restaurants. Luckily for you, it’s easy to make at home as well… and you’ll look like a pro baker!

Do Leftovers Have to Be Refrigerated? Can They Be Reheated?

I always top the entirety of my bread pudding with the vanilla sauce and then place the leftovers in the refrigerator. It can last in the fridge for up to a week!

When it comes time to eat your bread pudding, it is easy to reheat! My favorite method is just cutting a piece and heating it in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds. This is long enough that the bread doesn’t become hard but the vanilla sauce gets nice and gooey again. You’re welcome 😉

Why is my Bread Pudding Soggy?

Ah, I’m glad you asked, because as I was developing the recipe, I had this problem, too! (but don’t worry, I finally got the measurements/instructions right and there is no sogginess in sight when you make this recipe).

If you don’t have any, leave your bread out overnight on the countertop so that it can become stale. And if you don’t have that much time, you can always toast your bread in the oven a little bit.

Because the Bakerly buns are so moist and yummy, I combined two of these methods. First, I allowed my bread to become stale on the countertop overnight, and then I finished it off with a quick toasting right before making the recipe.

2. The second reason your bread pudding is soggy could be because you’ve added too much liquid. This one is a pretty self explanatory fix. The ratios in this recipe should eliminate that problem.

3. The last reason your bread pudding is soggy could be because of aluminum foil! If you cook your bread pudding with aluminum foil on the top, some of the moisture can’t escape during the cooking process and instead succeeds in leaving your bread damp and soggy.

If you need to cover your bread pudding while you’re baking it, cut some slits into the top of the aluminum foil. This will keep the dessert from burning, but will allow the liquid to escape while it’s cooking.

Working with Bakerly

If you liked this recipe, you’ll probably also like these recipes:

• Fast and Easy Maple Cookies
• Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Kaiserschmarrn from Austria

Thanks for stopping by! If you liked this recipe, leave a comment below letting me know what you thought. Don’t forget to post a photo on Facebook or Instagram of your bread pudding and tag @TheForeignFork and hashtag #TheForeignFork. I’ll see you soon!