This bourbon bread pudding is one of the best comfort foods whether or not you make it for breakfast, brunch, or dessert this is a great treat to eat. Top with a big scoop of vanilla or butter pecan ice cream and you are good to go!
Just picture a warm bread pudding fresh out of the oven and then drizzling it with a maple and bourbon syrup. You cannot tell me that doesn’t sound amazing. Especially when it is topped with a huge scoop of ice cream. Not only is the dish easy to make is the definition of comfort food. Whip this up for a wonderful breakfast or brunch dish or serve it warm for dessert. You can toss it in the oven just before you sit down for dinner and by the time everyone has finished it will be ready to eat.
In this recipe
This recipe is really straight forward when it comes to taste. The main focus is the maple and bourbon. However some of the other ingredients will play an important role.
French bread: I tend to use a French boule or any other round and dense bread. This will allow all of the egg mixture to be absorbed and it doesn’t have to be a day old.
Brown sugar: Dark brown sugar will add more caramel notes especially to the sauce.
Half and Half: This is going to make the bread pudding more rich however not as much as heavy cream giving it the perfect consistency.
Maple syrup: make sure that this is pure maple syrup and not flavored syrup.
Whisking eggs first
Unless you are making this in a blender, which actually is fine for the egg ad milk mixture you will want to whisk the eggs first. When you add the amount of volume of milk to the eggs it will be harder to an even mixture if you don’t whisk the eggs first. This can mean chunks of egg whites might not absorb into the bread. Whisk until the eggs are evenly yellow and then pour in the milk. Then you can add the rest of the ingredients.
Make sure it fits
Before you grease your baking dish you want to make sure that all of the bread will fit and there is room for some liquid. You do not have to use an 8×11 rectangle baking dish. This way you will not have to worry about overflow when you add the bread. Since the bread is tossed in with the egg mixture before adding it to the pan it is important to do this step or you might have a spill over later.
Sauce for bourbon bread pudding
Now this is the best part of this recipe. Well in my opinion that is. The part that it is really easy. You want to bring all of the sauce ingredients together and bring them to a boil in a skillet or saucepan. Once it has come to a boil turn the heat down and let it cook for a few minutes. However if you want to still have some alcohol in the sauce withhold a tablespoon or two of the bourbon from the pan and cook the sauce a little longer. Remove it from the heat and right before serving add the bourbon back to the sauce and drizzle over the bread pudding.
Looking for other bread pudding recipes?
Bourbon Bread Pudding
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- 2.5 quart casserole dish
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds French bread cubed
- 6 eggs
- 1¼ cup half and half
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup bourbon divided
- ½ cup maple syrup divided
- ½ cup butter
- ½ tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Making the bread pudding
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, 177°C, or gas mark 4.
- Add all of the bread to the baking dish to make sure that all of it fits. Remove the bread and then spray the 2.5 quart baking dish. This can be an 8 x 11 baking dish or a casserole dish. Set aside.
- In a bowl mix whisk the eggs. Then add the milk, half and half, vanilla, salt, ¼ cup maple sugar, ½ cup of brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons of bourbon and whisk to combine.
- Add the bread to the egg mixture and gently mix to coat all of the bread. Add the bread to the sprayed baking dish.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until there is no more liquid in the dish. Remove from the oven.
Making the bourbon sauce
- While the bread pudding is baking. In a sauté pan heat the butter, the remaining bourbon, brown sugar, and maple syrup. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally to prevent burning. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Pour over the bread pudding.
Notes
Nutrition
