Egg Custard Bread Pudding

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 12/1/21
Custard Bread Pudding on a plate

The Spruce Eats / Diana Rattray
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 45 mins
Total: 55 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
286 Calories
8g Fat
41g Carbs
11g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 286
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 11%
Saturated Fat 4g 19%
Cholesterol 137mg 46%
Sodium 391mg 17%
Total Carbohydrate 41g 15%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 22g
Protein 11g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 214mg 16%
Iron 2mg 12%
Potassium 263mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Bread pudding has long been a favorite comfort food, and it's a fantastic way to use day-old bread. This bread pudding recipe tastes like classic egg custard with dense, satisfying bread pudding texture. Add some raisins to the mixture if you'd like, or make it with currants or another kind of chopped dried fruit such as cranberries.

This custard bread pudding bakes up in a water bath, or bain-marie, similar to what you might use when baking a cheesecake. But when prepping it, you can assemble it, cover it, and refrigerate it the night before. Keep in mind, however, that bread pudding gets soggier the longer it sits, so it's wise to bake it off soon after refrigerating it; overnight is fine.

For a tempting dessert sauce, consider this vanilla sauce, this butterscotch sauce, or a brown sugar pecan sauce. Or simply drizzle some maple syrup or cane syrup over the pudding.

Ingredients

  • 4 large eggs, slightly beaten

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, or granulated sugar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 2 1/2 cups warm milk

  • 8 slices white bread, crusts removed if desired

  • 1 dash nutmeg

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for the pan

Steps to Make It

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Then add the warm milk.

  2. Cut bread in half diagonally, forming triangles. Arrange 2 layers of bread slices in a lightly buttered 8-inch square baking dish.

  3. Pour the custard mixture over the bread.

  4. Place the 8-inch baking dish in a larger baking dish containing about 1/2 to 1 inch of very hot water.

  5. Bake at 325 F for 40 to 50 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

  6. Serve warm or cool with dessert sauce, syrup, or fruit.

Variations

  • Use cinnamon swirl bread instead of white bread and omit the nutmeg, and sprinkle the mixture with cinnamon sugar before baking.
  • Soak raisins or currants in a couple of tablespoons of rum, whiskey, or bourbon before adding to the bread pudding. Sprinkle nutmeg on top.

How to Store and Freeze Egg Custard Bread Pudding

  • Bread pudding should be stored in the refrigerator within two hours of serving, where it will keep for 3 or 4 days if covered. Reheat in a low oven (about 325 F) covered loosely in foil for about 15 to 20 minutes.
  • You can also freeze egg custard bread pudding for up to 3 months. Bake it from frozen at 325 F for 60 to 75 minutes.

How Do You Know Bread Pudding is Done?

It might be tricky to figure out how to tell whether bread pudding is ready. A simple test involves checking the temperature: an instant-read thermometer stuck in the dish's middle should read about 160 F.