If you were to ask me what my favorite dessert is I would say bread pudding–without hesitation. If a restaurant has it on their menu I almost always have to order it. Surprisingly though, I didn’t start making it myself until about a year ago. In my mind it seemed way too complicated and time consuming. However, I’m here to tell you that making a delicious bread pudding is actually quite simple! And today I’m sharing my absolute favorite sourdough bread pudding recipe with you. Once you have this version it will be hard to enjoy another!
what is bread pudding?
It might have a strange name, but bread pudding is actually a really delicious and moist dessert. It started in the 11th century as a way to help eliminate food waste and use up the stale pieces of bread that otherwise would have been thrown out. There are lots of variations of bread pudding recipes out there, some of them sweet and some savory. The basic recipe is pieces of bread with custard poured over the top and then baked. It’s actually very similar to an overnight French toast recipe. The most common type you’ll see is with raisins, but there are so many delicious variations out there!
| honey baked overnight French toast |
why sourdough bread?
Sourdough is naturally a firmer bread which lends itself well to bread pudding. In addition to that, did you know sourdough also has health benefits? Among them is that the fermentation process of sourdough makes some kind of magic. This can lead to improved gut health and better digestion. (There is actually science behind that but I’m not getting into it, wink wink.) I like to order sourdough from a local baker, Jen of @chocolate_and_sourdough. She makes some incredible flavors that are perfect for my sourdough bread pudding recipe!
| lemon and blueberry piecaken cupcakes|
sourdough bread pudding
I like to bake my bread pudding in my Le Creuset Dutch Oven. It just bakes up so nicely and I can easily put the lid on during the baking process so it doesn’t brown too much. However, you could also just use any glass or enamel baking dish, You’ll just need to keep an eye on it during baking and possibly adjust the temperature or time accordingly.
- 1 loaf of sourdough bread (this should be a good quality, not sliced sandwich bread)
- 3 beaten eggs
- 1½ cups white sugar
- 2 tbsp brown sugar (I prefer dark)
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ cup melted butter
- 3 cups whole milk
- ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
- ¼ cup raspberries, washed and dried (optional)
- ½ cup brown sugar (I prefer dark)
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 pinch cinnamon
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
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1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 2 quart baking dish.
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2. Slice up sourdough bread loaf into cubes, set aside.
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3. In a large mixing bowl add together 3 eggs, white sugar, 2 tbsp brown sugar, ½ tsp cinnamon, ¼ cup of butter, and 3 cups of milk. Whisk until incorporated. Add in bread cubes. If adding chocolate and raspberries gently fold in.
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4. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 50-55 minutes. Cover after 30 minutes if desired to avoid excessive browning.
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1. In a saucepan over medium heat whisk together ½ cup of brown sugar, the flour, a pinch of cinnamon, 1 egg, 2 tbsp melted butter, 1 cup half and half, and salt. Once it has thickened so the sauce coats the back of the spoon, about 10 minutes. Then stir in the vanilla extract. Serve drizzled over the bread pudding.
Do you like bread pudding?
