The Best Bread Pudding

A square of bread pudding on a brown plate with pecans in the foreground.

The best bread pudding starts with brown sugar, butter, and pecans in the baking pan. Top that with cut up cinnamon swirl bread soaked in a warmly-spiced custard and baked to perfection. After baking, turn the pudding out onto a serving platter so the brown sugar pecan mixture is on top. This is one magical dessert you can enjoy any time to turn any meal into a celebration.

Course Custard and Pudding Recipes

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 30

Chill Time 12

Total Time 13 45

Servings

Calories 373kcal

Author Jennifer Field

Ingredients

For the Upside Down Topping

198 grams dark brown sugar 7 oz or about 1 cup
57 grams melted butter 2 oz or 1/2 stick
pinch salt
2 teaspoons baking spice see post for substitutions
113 grams pecan halves, lightly toasted 4 oz or about a cup

For the Custard

680 grams whole milk 24 oz or 3 cups
226 grams heavy cream 8 oz or 1 cup
85 grams granulated sugar 3 oz or a scant 1/2 cup
85 grams dark brown sugar 3 oz or a lightly packed 1/2 cup
3 large eggs
2 egg yolks
1 Tablespoon baking spice
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon kosher salt I use Morton's

To Finish and Bake

680 grams cinnamon swirl bread (see post for substitutions) 1 1/2 pounds

Instructions

Prep

Get out an 8" or 9" square baking pan. If it is not nonstick, fold a piece of parchment to fit into the bottom and up two opposite sides. Set aside.
Toast your pecans. Spread them out on a small pan and toast in the toaster oven or in the oven at 350F until fragrant. Be careful not to burn them. Once toasted, slide them onto a plate to cool down.
Cut the cinnamon swirl bread into 1 1/2" chunks. Set aside.

Mix Up the Topping

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, melted butter, salt, and spice. Mix until evenly moistened.
Dump the brown sugar mixture into your prepared pan and press evenly into the pan.
Arrange the pecans in a decorative pattern on top of the brown sugar, top sides down.

Make the Custard

In a large bowl, whisk all custard ingredients together very well.
Strain through a fine-mesh strainer and whisk again for a moment.

Filling the Pan

Fit the chunks of bread into the pan, trying to fill it completely without leaving any gaps. If using an 8" pan, this will fill it all the way to the top and maybe even a tiny bit over. Worry not.
Place the bread-filled pan on a half sheet pan to catch any drips.
Pour custard evenly over the bread in four additions, allowing ten minutes or so between additions so the custard can soak into the bread.
Carefully press the bread down into the custard with a small offset spatula.
Cover the pudding with foil and refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight.

Baking

Heat the oven to 300F/150C and place a rack in the center of the oven.
Remove the foil and place a square of parchment on top of the pudding. Replace the foil.
Place the pudding, still on the half-sheet pan, into the oven and bake for an hour.
After an hour, remove the foil and parchment and continue baking until the pudding is puffed up all over and the internal temperature in the center is 165F/74C, about30-45 minutes more, depending on your oven. Do not bake in a hotter oven, because you risk curdling your pudding. That results in an unpleasant texture, so take time to bake low and slow.
Once the pudding is done, turn off the oven and turn your broiler on high. Broil until the top of the pudding is deep golden brown.
Remove the pudding from the oven and allow it to cool on a cooling rack for 20-30 minutes.

Turning the Pudding Out

Run a thin, offset spatula or small knife around the inside of the pan to make sure the pudding didn't stick.
Place a serving platter on top of the pan, and wearing oven mitts or using thick kitchen towels, carefully flip the pan and serving plate so the plate is on the bottom for serving. NOTE: If you lined your pan with parchment, make sure the two ends that hangover the edges of the pan are not folded in on top of the pudding.
Carefully remove the baking pan, scraping out any pecans or topping that may have stuck in the bottom of the pan and spreading it on top of your pudding.
Serve warm, and enoy.

Notes

What is

Baking Spice is a proprietary blend of warm spices produced and sold by Savory Spice Shop.

The blend includes two types of cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, allspice, and ginger

Pan Sizes

For best results, bake in an 8" or 9" square pan.

If all you have are round pans, use a 9" x 2" cake pan or a 9" springform pan or pushpan with the bottom wrapped in foil.

Keeping

Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to five days. Reheat to serve.

Q & A

Should I serve this warm? Bread pudding has the most flavor and best texture when at room temperature or slightly warm. While you can eat it cold, the flavors become muted at refrigerator temperatures.

How long will this keep in the fridge? Best served warm, bread pudding keeps well in the fridge for up to five days. It reheats well either in the microwave for a few seconds or in a low oven.

Can I leave bread pudding out? It needs to be kept in the fridge because of the eggs and dairy, not to mention all the moisture. Once cool, get any leftovers in the fridge as soon as possible and reheat pieces as needed.

Nutrition