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Classic Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel

A well-soaked bread pudding keeps its center soft and custardy while buttered peaks bake into a gently crisp, golden lid.

Golden bread pudding with a crisp top and custardy center is served warm under a drizzle of caramel sauce.

This is the kind of dessert that rewards restraint: day-old bread is allowed to drink in the custard before it meets the oven. Vanilla, cinnamon, and orange zest make the pudding familiar but not flat, while the top is left loose enough to brown in crisp little ridges.

A quick caramel sauce turns the warm pudding into a complete dessert. Bourbon brings a toasted, adult edge, but water plus vanilla makes an equally glossy nonalcoholic vanilla-caramel option.

Start with day-old bread

Brioche brings richness, challah gives the pudding a tender chew, and French bread makes a more rustic version. What matters most is a dry, sturdy crumb that can absorb the custard without dissolving into paste.

Give the custard time

Pressing the bread into the custard and allowing it to rest creates the contrast that defines a good bread pudding. The centers hydrate into a spoon-soft custard while the exposed pieces retain enough structure to make a browned crown.

Cubed brioche soaks in vanilla-cinnamon custard flecked with orange zest in a mixing bowl. — Bread cubes rest in vanilla custard before being transferred to the buttered baking dish.

Leave room for crisp ridges

Do not compress the soaked bread into a perfectly smooth layer. A loosely leveled surface gives the butter something to baste as it bakes, producing browned tips while the interior remains gently yielding.

Choose your caramel

The brown-sugar caramel is deliberately simple, so it stays fluid enough to drape over a warm serving. Stir in bourbon for its warm, oaky note, or use water and vanilla to keep the same caramel character without alcohol.

A spoonful shows the custardy interior and browned crisp top of bread pudding with glossy caramel. — A spoonful reveals the soft custardy crumb beneath the browned, lightly crisp top.

Classic Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel

6 servings

95 minutes total

Ingredients

•
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract, divided
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
•

Method

Heat the oven
Set a rack in the center of the oven and heat it to 350 F; butter an 8-inch square baking dish with 1 tbsp butter. Use brioche by default; challah or French bread are fallback loaves. Use bourbon by default; use water for a nonalcoholic sauce.
Look for: The dish has a thin, even butter coating and the oven is fully preheated.
Make the custard
Whisk the milk, cream, eggs, granulated sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, cinnamon, orange zest, and salt until the sugar is mostly dissolved.
Look for: The custard is smooth, pale, and fragrant with no streaks of egg.
Soak the bread
Fold the bread cubes into the custard, pressing gently so every piece absorbs liquid without being crushed.
Look for: The bread is evenly moistened but the cubes still hold their shape.
Rest the mixture
Let the bread and custard stand for 20 minutes, pressing the top down once halfway through so the centers hydrate fully.
Look for: The bread looks plump and most loose custard has been absorbed.
Fill and dot
Scrape the soaked bread into the buttered dish, level it lightly without packing, and dot the surface with the remaining 2 tbsp butter.
Look for: The surface is uneven enough for crisp ridges, with butter distributed across the top.
Bake until custardy
Bake at 350 F for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is browned and slightly crisp while the center is set but still softly yielding.
Look for: The edges are puffed, the top is golden brown, and a knife near the center emerges moist rather than wet.
Cook the caramel
While the pudding bakes, melt the brown sugar with the remaining 1 tbsp butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until glossy and bubbling.
Look for: The sugar is fully melted and the caramel bubbles evenly without dark spots.
Finish the sauce
Remove the caramel from the heat and carefully stir in the bourbon and remaining 1 tsp vanilla; for vanilla-caramel sauce, use water instead of bourbon.
Look for: The sauce is smooth, fluid, and smells of caramel and vanilla.
Rest and serve
Rest the baked bread pudding for 10 minutes so the custard settles, then spoon warm bourbon caramel or vanilla-caramel sauce over each serving.
Look for: Slices hold together with a custardy interior and a lightly crisp top.