This bread pudding with bourbon sauce is the result of some obsessive tinkering with several recipes from various different sources, all in an effort to come up with my idea of the perfect version. And at this point, perhaps you may be wondering...just what precisely were my parameters for "perfect" bread pudding? Well, they were exacting, but simple. It had to be mercifully easy to prepare, luxuriously textured, and irresistibly scrumptious. In other words, I was aiming for a bread pudding recipe with maximum comfort food credentials (aka one that made me swoon over my fork), but without any fancy bain-marie required (in other words, no fiddly pan of hot water to wrangle). Here's the version that delivers the goods!
If you enjoy bread pudding with bourbon sauce, then you're bound to love bourbon blondies.
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Ingredients for Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
- unsalted butter
- day-old French bread
- eggs
- pure vanilla extract
- kosher salt
- heavy whipping cream
- whole milk
- sugar
- ground cinnamon
- freshly grated nutmeg
- light brown sugar
- bourbon
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions for Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
Prepare the Bread Pudding
Grease your baking dish with butter.
In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks, eggs, cream, milk, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt
Whisk together until the mixture is thoroughly blended.
Add the bread cubes.
Stir to coat. Let stand for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice along the way to help the bread absorb the liquid. In the meantime, heat the oven to 325℉.
Stir once again, and then pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Prepare the Bourbon Sauce
In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar and cream over medium heat.
Continue cooking, whisking frequently, until the mixture comes to a boil. (This should take about 5 minutes.)
Whisk in the butter and the pinch of salt. Continue cooking about a minute more, or just until the mixture comes back to a boil.
Remove the saucepan from heat, and then whisk in the bourbon. Allow the sauce to cool slightly before serving.
To serve, cut the bread pudding into pieces and spoon the warm bourbon sauce over the top.
Hint: Bread pudding with bourbon sauce can certainly be made in advance, but it is always best served warm!
Equipment
The baking dish pictured in this recipe is a porcelain oval roaster by Apilco, size No. 6 (medium). It measures 12¼ x 8¾ (2 inches deep). I love this dish for its beautiful presentation, but don't fret if you don't happen to have any porcelain on hand...any type of baking dish will work just fine here.
Storage
Leftover bread pudding can be stored in the refrigerator, in an airtight container or covered with plastic, for 3 to 4 days. (You can gently reheat it in the oven or simply pop it in the microwave.) The bourbon sauce can also be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container, and it will keep for a week or two...it's also wonderful over ice cream!
Related
Here are a few more favorite recipes for celebrating bourbon and the Bluegrass region:
More Desserts
Looking for more classic and comforting desserts? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
Equipment
- baking dish of your choice (about 2 to 3 quarts capacity)
Ingredients
Bread Pudding
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter softened
- 8 ounces day-old French bread, cut into roughly one inch cubes
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Bourbon Sauce
- ½ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- pinch kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
Instructions
Prepare the Bread Pudding
- Grease the baking dish with butter.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, eggs, cream, milk, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until the mixture is thoroughly blended.
- Add the bread cubes and stir to coat. Let stand for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice along the way to help the bread absorb the liquid. In the meantime, heat the oven to 325℉.
- Stir once again, and then pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Prepare the Bourbon Sauce
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar and cream over medium heat.
- Continue cooking, whisking frequently, until the mixture comes to a boil. (This should take about 5 minutes.)
- Whisk in the butter and the pinch of salt. Continue cooking about a minute more, or just until the mixture comes back to a boil.
- Remove saucepan from the heat, and then whisk in the bourbon. Allow the sauce to cool slightly before serving.
- To serve, cut the bread pudding into pieces and spoon the warm bourbon sauce over the top.
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