This easy custard bread pudding recipe with a crispy brown sugar topping, covered in rich caramel sauce is the perfect dessert. Bread pudding is such a classic dish and this recipe with creamy custard and silky caramel sauce will not disappoint.
How to make custard bread pudding.
Cut the bread in 1 inch pieces and place them in the pan. Mix the heavy cream, eggs, white sugar, and vanilla extract to make the custard. Pour the custard over the bread and mix well. Refrigerate the mixture overnight.
The mixture that was left to soak overnight will look like it has absorbed most, but not all of the custard. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bread to the baking pan. Make sure all bread pieces are coated in the custard, but don’t pour the extra custard on the bread.
This is how much mixture there was left over after transferring the bread to the baking pan.
Cover the top of the bread pudding with the brown sugar, making sure to spread it in a thin layer so that the sugar melts. Bake the bread pudding for 45 minutes.
When the bread pudding has about 20 minutes left, you can start making the caramel sauce. Melt the butter and add the brown sugar and bring to a boil. Then add the cream. This is what you should have once the cream has mixed with the sugar and butter.
When the bread pudding is finished baking, remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes and then slowly pour the sauce over the top. This picture was taken right after I initially poured the sauce. The pudding will absorb some of the sauce. You’ll be left with about half of the caramel sauce which you can use to pour on the individual cut pieces.
This custard bread pudding was so simple and so delicious it’s become a staple at my house!
Custard Bread Pudding
Equipment
- Medium sized bowl
- Whisk
- Two 9x13 inch pan (One to soak the bread overnight and one to bake)
- Slotted spoon
Ingredients
- 4 cups heavy cream
- 12 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 french baguettes (I used two medium sized baguettes)
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
Sauce
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup butter (salted)
- 2 cups packed brown sugar
Instructions
- Cut the baguettes into 1 inch pieces and place in the pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the cream, eggs, white sugar, and vanilla to make the custard.
- Pour the custard over the bread and stir the bread to make sure all pieces are covered.
- Cover the pan and soak bread overnight.
- When ready to bake, pre-heat the oven to 325°F.
- Remove the pan with the soaked bread from the refrigerator and gently stir the bread to make sure the bread is covered in the custard.
- With a slotted spoon, layer only the soaked bread into the pan, not the extra custard.
- Cover the top with brown sugar.
- Bake at 325° for 45 minutes.
To make the sauce
- In a medium pan, melt butter and add brown sugar.
- Bring to a boil.
- Add cream and stir until combined.
- When bread pudding is ready, let cool for about 10 minutes, and pour sauce over the top.
- There will be sauce left over which you can pour on the individual cut pieces.
