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    Home » Recipes » Sweets

    Old-fashioned Bread Pudding

    April 22, 2020 • Updated: April 8, 2022 • by Renée B. • This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe
    Over head of bread pudding with butter sauce, garnished with orange slices. In a cast iron skillet. Pin text reads: Classic Bread Pudding with whiskey sauce.

    Old-fashioned bread pudding is the very definition of Scrumptious! Our heirloom recipe is simple, easy, extremely adaptable. Perfect for brunch or dessert.

    Bread pudding in a cast iron skillet, garnished with orange slices, with one serving removed.
    Jump to:
    • What's the Story Behind this Recipe?
    • What Goes into this Recipe
    • How to Make this Recipe
    • FAQs & Expert Tips
    • Related Recipes
    • Old-fashioned Bread Pudding

    What's the Story Behind this Recipe?

    Classic bread pudding is a delicious way to use up old bread. Growing up, if any part of a loaf of bread went stale, my mom would never even think of throwing it out. Waste not, want not. Instead, she would make one of my all-time favorite desserts: bread pudding. 

    As an adult, I adopted Mom's thrifty practice of saving old bread. I keep a large resealable bag in the freezer, and whenever we have a lone slice of bread or a part of a loaf goes stale, I throw the extra bread in the bag. When I have enough, I make bread pudding. 

    Our easy bread pudding recipe is full of sugar and spice and everything nice - and the recipe almost impossible to flub. The foundation recipe (i.e., Basic Bread Pudding), even without any additions or sauces, makes a perfectly delicious dessert just as written. 

    What Goes into this Recipe

    Ingredients, besides bread, for bread pudding: eggs, spices, orange zest, raisins.

    Ingredients for Cinnamon-Orange Bread Pudding include orange zest and raisins. ↑

    ★ Bread: You don't need to be picky about the kind of breads that go into your bread pudding. (I mean, that's kind of the point, right?) I do like to use a variety if I have it, though. Don't be afraid to use breads with unique flavors or textures, either! Rye bread is one of my favorite breads to use. 

    bread heels and pieces on a wooden cutting board.

    How to Make this Recipe

    Preheat oven to 325°F | 163°C. Grease a large, heavy baking dish with a thin coating of butter, or spray it with cooking spray.

    A 10" cast iron skillet is my preferred baking pan for this recipe. However, you can use whatever works best for you: a 9x13 baking or casserole dish is another good choice.

    Cut bread into ¾" - 1" cubes. (You should have roughly 10 cups of bread cubes.) Put the bread cubes into buttered baking pan or dish. Sprinkle dried fruit and/or baking chips over bread cubes (i.e., raisins, dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, etc.). Set aside.

    Bread cubes and raisins in buttered cast iron skillet.

    In a large bowl, whisk 7 eggs until frothy. Add sugars to beaten eggs and thoroughly whisk together.

    Glass bowl with wire whisk and beaten eggs in it. Eggshells and bread cubes on cutting board.

    Whisk in ground spices (i.e., cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg), salt, and vanilla. If you are using orange zest, mix it now as well. Mixture should be a thick, eggy syrup.

    Eggs and sugar beaten, slowly pouring off a wire whisk to illustrate thickness of egg mixture.

    Stir in milk (or half & half). Pour the egg mixture over the bread cube mixture in the pan.

    Press it down a little with your hands. You should see a little of the liquid rise up in between the bread cubes.

    Unbaked bread pudding in a cast iron skillet.

    At this point, if the bread pudding seems really dry, I will mix up another egg with about ¾ cup of milk and drizzle that over the top. It really depends on the density of the bread you are using.

    Allow everything to rest for about 20 minutes to give the bread cubes time to absorb the egg mixture.

    Bake 45-60 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned. Insert a toothpick or skewer into the bread pudding – it should come out clean.

    Baked, ungarnished bread pudding in a cast iron skillet.

    Allow bread pudding to cool on a wire rack.

    I usually loosely tent it with aluminum foil to keep it from losing too much moisture as it cools.

    Optional: When bread pudding has mostly cooled, drizzle with 1 to 1½ cups of the cooled, prepared Cinnamon Whiskey Butter Sauce or other bread pudding sauce. Reserve any remaining sauce.

    When you are ready to serve the bread pudding, heat the reserve sauce slightly and serve on the side as you would syrup for pancakes.

    Refrigerate any leftovers.

    Recipe Variations

    We like Options. We like to change things up from time to time, and bread pudding is no different. It all just depends upon the extras you throw in.

    Cinnamon-Raisin Bread Pudding

    • golden raisins or raisins (As always, raisins are optional)
    • extra ground cinnamon

    Cinnamon-Orange Bread Pudding

    • golden raisins or raisins
    • fresh orange zest
    • ground cinnamon additional

    Cranberry-Orange Bread Pudding

    • dried cranberries
    • fresh orange zest

    Cranberry White Chocolate Bread Pudding

    • dried cranberries
    • white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate pieces

    Once you master the basic recipe, you'll find yourself coming up with all kinds of combinations of your own.

    FAQs & Expert Tips

    If you don't have enough stale bread to make a big batch of bread pudding, make some Bread Pudding Muffins instead!

    Do you have to make a sauce for bread pudding?


    Bread Pudding Sauce is totally optional. However, adding it will take your bread pudding to the next level!

    Our Spiced Whiskey Butter Sauce is absolutely scrumptious over warm bread pudding! The sauce can made with whiskey, rum, or alcohol-free; Traditional Cinnamon, Cinnamon-Orange, and buttery Vanilla Sauce.

    How long does bread pudding last?

    Bread pudding should be refrigerated within 2 hours of serving. Leftover bread pudding can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

    You can also freeze bread pudding, tightly sealed, for up to 4 months.

    Bread pudding in a cast iron skillet, garnished with orange slices.

    Related Recipes

    • Bread Pudding Muffins
    • Cinnamon Whiskey Sauce for Bread Pudding
    • Old-fashioned Bread Pudding
    • Kaylen's Bread (Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe)

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    Bread pudding in a cast iron skillet, garnished with orange slices, with one serving removed.
    5 from 7 votes

    Old-fashioned Bread Pudding

    Old-fashioned Bread Pudding is absolutely scrumptious! This classic recipe is simple, easy, and extremely adaptable.
    Print Pin Add to Shopping List Go to Shopping List
    Course: Brunch, Comfort Food, Dessert
    Cuisine: American, Comfort Food
    Diet: Vegetarian
    Prep Time:20 minutes
    Cook Time:1 hour
    Soak Time:20 minutes
    Total Time:1 hour 40 minutes
    Servings: 10 servings
    Calories: 325kcal
    Author: Renee
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • 1 cast iron skillet or casserole dish
    • 1 wire whisk

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Metric
    Basic Bread Pudding
    • 1 pound day-old bread roughly 10 cups, cubed
    • 7 large eggs
    • 1 cup brown sugar
    • ½ cup white
    • 4 cups milk or half & half
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla
    • 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
    • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    For Traditional Cinnamon-Raisin Bread Pudding
    • ½ - ¾ cup golden raisins or raisins (As always, raisins are optional)
    • 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon additional
    For Cinnamon-Orange Bread Pudding
    • ½ cup golden raisins or raisins
    • 1½ teaspoons fresh orange zest
    • 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon additional
    For Cranberry-Orange Bread Pudding
    • ½ cup dried cranberries
    • 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
    For Cranberry White Chocolate Bread Pudding
    • ½ cup dried cranberries
    • ½ cup white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate pieces
    OPTIONAL
    • 1 batch Cinnamon Whiskey Butter Sauce or other Bread Pudding Sauce

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 325°F | 163°C.
      Grease a large, heavy baking dish with a thin coating of butter, or spray it with cooking spray.
      A 10" cast iron skillet is my preferred baking pan for this recipe. However, you can use whatever works best for you: a 9x13 baking or casserole dish is another good choice.
    • Cut bread into ¾" - 1" cubes. (You should have roughly 10 cups of bread cubes.)
      Put the bread cubes into buttered baking pan or dish. Sprinkle dried fruit and/or baking chips over bread cubes (i.e., raisins, dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, etc.). Set aside.
    • In a large bowl, whisk 7 eggs until frothy.
      Add sugars to beaten eggs and thoroughly whisk together. Whisk in ground spices (i.e., cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg), salt, and vanilla. If you are using orange zest, mix it now as well.
      Mixture should be a thick, eggy syrup right now.
      Stir in milk (or half & half).
    • Pour the egg mixture over the bread cube mixture in the pan.
      Press it down a little with your hands. You should see a little of the liquid rise up in between the bread cubes.
      At this point, if the bread pudding seems really dry, mix up another egg with about ¾ cup of milk and drizzle that over the top. The amount of egg-milk mixture you need really depends on the density of the bread you are using.
    • Allow everything to rest for about 20 minutes to give the bread cubes time to absorb the egg mixture.
    • Bake 45-60 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned.
      Insert a toothpick or skewer into the bread pudding – it should come out clean.
    • Allow bread pudding to cool on a wire rack.
      I usually loosely tent it with aluminum foil to keep it from losing too much moisture as it cools.
    • If you are adding a whiskey, rum, or vanilla sauce (Optional)
      When bread pudding has mostly cooled, drizzle with ⅔ of the cooled, prepared sauce.
      Reserve the last ⅓ of the sauce.
    • When you are ready to serve the bread pudding, heat the reserve sauce slightly and serve on the side as you would syrup for pancakes.
    • Refrigerate any leftovers.

    Notes

    Recipe options include: Traditional Cinnamon-Raisin, Cinnamon-Orange, Cranberry-Orange, and Cranberry White Chocolate. 

    Bread Pudding Sauce is totally optional. However, adding it will take your bread pudding to the next level!
    Our Spiced Whiskey Butter Sauce is perfectly scrumptious over warm bread pudding! Variations: Traditional Cinnamon, Cinnamon-Orange, and alcohol-free buttery Vanilla Sauce, and can be made with whiskey, rum, or alcohol-free.

    Nutrition information includes the "Basic Bread Pudding" recipe ingredients only. It does not take into account additional ingredients listed in the recipe options (i.e., dried fruit, baking chips, etc.) or ingredients in the Cinnamon Whiskey Butter Sauce.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 325kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 386mg | Potassium: 292mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 324IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 215mg | Iron: 2mg
    This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
    Have you tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!
    milk bottle from top down

    Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details.

    Originally published May 6, 2014

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    About Renée B.

    Renée is writer, music maker, artist, and storyteller. In her spare time, you can find her writing love songs about cowboys, exploring the moss-covered nooks and crannies of the Pacific Northwest, and making music with her talented singer-husband.

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    1. Erin @ Platings and Pairings says

      April 23, 2020 at 11:49 am

      5 stars
      All of these bread pudding variations sound so good! Can't wait to dive into each and every one of them!

      Reply
    2. Marlynn says

      April 23, 2020 at 10:30 am

      5 stars
      I am loving all of the different options for this bread pudding! And that cinnamon whiskey butter sauce is totally mandatory in my hungry opinion 😉 So much yum in one dish!

      Reply
      • Renée ♥ says

        April 23, 2020 at 11:14 am

        We are in complete agreement about the Cinnamon Whiskey Butter Sauce!

        Reply
    3. Tisha says

      April 23, 2020 at 8:52 am

      5 stars
      The butter sauce is what really caught my attention! I love bread pudding but this butter sauce sounds like the perfect addition!

      Reply
      • Renée ♥ says

        April 23, 2020 at 10:10 am

        Oh my gosh - this butter sauce will change your life!

        Reply
    4. Ashley says

      April 23, 2020 at 6:16 am

      5 stars
      This looks heavenly! What a great use of bread too. I grew up freezing our bread if it was on the verge of being stale too!

      Reply
      • Renée ♥ says

        April 23, 2020 at 10:11 am

        Those thrifty practices our parents taught us are starting to come in pretty handy these days, aren't they?

        Reply
    5. Capri says

      April 22, 2020 at 3:24 pm

      This Bread Pudding is so Savory, sweet, and perfect! My family loved it! Thanks for the great recipe

      Reply
    6. Amber Myers says

      April 22, 2020 at 1:37 pm

      Oh yum, this looks so good! I love bread pudding so I can't wait to make this.

      Reply
    7. Mirlene says

      April 22, 2020 at 1:33 pm

      5 stars
      This bread putting is amazing. Filled with so much flavor. Makes you want more after each bite.

      Reply
    « Older Comments

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