Grandma’s Bread Pudding
This bread pudding recipe is easy to make with just a few simple ingredients. This is one of our family’s favorite recipes and is perfect served with a big scoop of ice cream!
Do you have any family recipes that you absolutely love? This bread pudding recipe is one that has been in my husband’s family for years and comes from his Grandmother Linda. My husband loves this recipe so much that his grandma used to bake it for him instead of a cake for special occasions. And honestly, I would choose this recipe over a cake any day too.
Speaking of Josh’s grandma, I really feel like I could write a million blog posts about how wonderful she was. She was such a kind person and had the best sense of humor. It was literally impossible to not crack a smile when you were around her.
My favorite memory of her was the time she got up on the dance floor at our wedding and danced like no one was watching. Although she’s no longer with us, one thing that we will always have are the memories and her amazing bread pudding recipe.
Plus, you know a recipe is good when it comes from grandma. Right?
Recipe Ingredients
This recipe uses simple ingredients that you may already have on hand! Here’s what you will need to make this easy bread pudding recipe:
- Day-old bread: To start this recipe you’ll need some bread, hence the name bread pudding. I like to use a loaf of challah bread when it comes to making this recipe. Josh’s grandma used slices of toasted white bread when she would make it. Some other great options are French or brioche bread. You also want to use day-old or stale bread so that it absorbs the moisture from the egg and milk mixture.
- Eggs: You will be using 5 large eggs for this bread pudding recipe.
- Milk: I prefer to use whole milk in this recipe, but Josh’s grandmother typically used skim milk. Feel free to use whatever you have on hand!
- Sugar: There’s 1 cup of granulated sugar in this dish to add some sweetness.
- Vanilla & spices: These add a little flavor to the bread pudding. For the spices there is a mixture of ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg.
How To Make Bread Pudding
To make this bread pudding, start by spraying a 9×13 baking pan well with nonstick cooking spray. Next, cube your day old-bread into 1-inch pieces and place them in an even layer into the prepared baking dish.
Then, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and spices. You will be using 5 whole eggs and 4 cups of milk, which may seem like a lot. Trust me, the first time I made this recipe I sat there wondering if it was too much. As the bread bakes it will absorb the liquid, so don’t worry!
Once you mix up the wet ingredients, pour it over the bread in your pan. Make sure that the mixture fully coats the bread, if you miss some pieces, just press them down into the mixture to make sure they are coated.
You want to let it sit for about 15 minutes, so the bread can absorb some of the liquid before it goes into the oven too. I like to prepare the bread pudding, then once I’m done I preheat the oven. I just let it sit and soak up the mixture while the oven preheats, which is usually right at about 15 minutes. Easy, peasy.
The bread pudding will take about 45 to 50 minutes in the oven. You will know it’s done when the center is puffed up and firm if you gently touch it.
You do want to let it cool for just a little bit once you remove it from the oven so that it’s easy to handle. I really love this bread pudding served with a huge scoop of ice cream and some caramel sauce. But honestly, it’s delicious just by itself!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you freeze bread pudding?
Yes, absolutely! You can slice the bread pudding into pieces, wrap each one tightly, and store them in a large freezer bag or freezer-friendly storage container. To thaw it, simply place it in the refrigerator overnight.
Does it need be refrigerated?
Yes, you do want to refrigerate it. Once it has cooled completely, wrap it tightly, and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
How do you reheat it?
If you want to reheat the whole bread pudding, cover it tightly with aluminum foil, and place it in a 300°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until warmed. For individual slices, I prefer to microwave them in 20 to 30 second increments until they’re warmed through.
Baking Tips
- If your bread is still fresh or not dried out you can cube it into smaller pieces, place them on a baking sheet, pop it in the oven, and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes. You don’t want to completely toast the bread, just dry it out.
- I prefer to lightly beat the eggs before mixing them into the wet ingredients. This isn’t necessary, but does help to ensure that the eggs are thoroughly combined.
- Let the bread pudding soak for about 15 minutes while your oven is preheating. This will ensure that the bread really soaks up the egg custard mixture!
Video Tutorial
Grandma's Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 loaf day-old challah bread cubed into 1-inch pieces
- 5 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 4 cups (960 ml) whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place the cubed challah bread into the prepared baking dish and spread it around into an even layer. Set aside.
- In a very large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, milk, vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon until fully combined. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread in the prepared baking pan, making sure all of the bread is coated. Allow to sit and soak up the mixture for about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Once the 15 minutes is over, place the bread pudding in the oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the top is set.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.
Notes
Hi there. Would this recipe turn out if I used 1c maple syrup instead of sugar ?
Thanks
I haven’t tried it, but I wouldn’t suggest it for this recipe.
I have done similar things using Maple syrup. You may need to adjust the liquid, but you always have to do that dependent on the dryness of your bread and the size of your eggs. Maple syrup is a delicious substitute. I might leave out some of the spices to let its flavor shine through.
I adjusted the recipe to use Hawaiian dinner rolls ( 12 ounce package) and the use of a 9 x 9 pan) we had left overs rolls . These were sweet, and the recipe worked well and tasked yummy – I used dried cherries and raisins, with pecans and walnuts, that offered more flavor and texture. Covered with butter cream sauce, need we say more! Thanks Tom
How many cups of bread would that first ingredient equal?
About 9-10 cups.
If I want to double the recipe and add raisins do I need to lessen anything or cook for longer? Or should I make it in 2 pans 13×9
Hi, Jean! If you want to double the recipe, I would just use two 9×13 pans and keep the baking time the same. You can also just add the raisins, no need to adjust to lessen anything else.
Can you use skim milk?
Yes, that’s fine!
Thanks so much for this recipe. I’ve been looking for a bread pudding recipe exactly lile this, as it’s the same type my Southern grandmother used to make at every single family gathering growing up. She unfortunately now has dementia and is no longer able to remember the recipe or what I’m talking about, so finding and making this brought back a lot of memories for me. I’ll be making it again and taking some over to her soon, maybe she’ll remember once she tastes it 🙂 Thank you again.
So happy to hear that it brought back those wonderful memories, Courtney! I hope your grandmother enjoys the bread pudding!
Can we use a loaf of bred for this instead? And what would be the measurements?
That would be fine! You can use about 12 slices of bread, it should be 9-10 cups.
I’m looking forward to making this for next week’s Mary Kay meeting.
It was great! I tried a few substitutions on the 2nd batch. I used 2 loaves cubed french bread, dried in oven on 125 for an hour. I buttered a 13x9x2 pan, put in the bread cubes, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 1/2 cup whole oats, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, and 1/4 cup Chia seeds and tossed to disperse. I mixed together 5 eggs, 1 c coconut water, 2c soymilk and 1c lactose free milk, 4 Oz coconut creme concentrate- grated fine, 3/4 c stevia powder, 1/4 c light brown sugar, 1 tbsp vanilla, 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger and 1 stick melted butter. I poured the wet mix over the dry and let it soak in while I preheated the oven to 325. I pushed in some pineapple chunks all over. I then put tin foil over the pan and baked it for an hour. It was so yummy warm from the oven, and hopefully a little lighter on the carbs!
Gloria, With all the changes you made on this recipe you completely changed the recipe. I’m trying to figure out where you saved the carbs. other then the sugar. I agree using truvia or stevia will save. However, adding all that fruit adds a lot more carbs. I’m diabetic so I find just reducing sugar and adding truvia has helped alot. Although, I have not made caramel sauce with the truvia. I need to try doing it. I’ve been cooking for over 50 yrs and enjoy trying new recipes. Especially since my kids are grown and out of the house.
Hi, Is this photo of the bread pudding you actually made? The reason for this strange question is I am looking for a bread pudding recipe that can be cut like a cake not a bread pudding that is mushy and more like pudding with chunks of bread. Thanks!
Yes, I would never a post a picture on my site of something that wasn’t the actual recipe 🙂
When baking the bread pudding does it require a water bath? If not do you know why? Every bread pudding I’ve ever made requires one. Thanks!
You can certainly use one if you want to, but I’ve never found the extra step necessary. It always turns out just fine without one for me 🙂
I made the bread pudding and it was dry is there anything I can do to moisten it? The taste was good with apple sauce. If I can correct this please answer
Thank you
Susan
Sorry to hear that, Susan. You can top it with some caramel or vanilla sauce or even some ice cream and that should help.
My mother in law brings a bread pudding to all our family gatherings , she is able to cut hers into small 2 bite cubes. I started craving some today and found your recipe. I only have half a cup of sugar, could I substitute the other half a cup with brown sugar?
That would be fine!
Could you be so kind, and convert cups from this recipe into mililiters, please.
(I’d do it by myself, but I’m not sure what „cup” means in US.)
Best regards
Reader from Europe
The cup of sugar is equal to 200 grams and the 4 cups of milk are equal to 960 ml. Hope that helps!
Can I not use any vanilla extract?
Yes, you can leave it out.
I made this bread pudding and it came out a little soggy. What do you think I did wrong ? I think I might not have used enough bread. The flavor is good.
Did you make sure to use a similar size loaf or amount of bread? If so, you can try adding a little more next time or increase the baking time slightly.
How do you make the caramel sauce?
I linked to my salted caramel sauce recipe right above the recipe.
This was amazing! I used sourdough and followed the recipe the rest of the way. It was Sunday dessert at the “Doll House”. Will make this again, that’s for sure. My daughter wanted raisins, but I was out. That’s only thing that would do differently. And just happened to have caramel sauce on hand!
I was recently gifted two loaves of short-dated bread. I turned one of the loves into bread pudding using this recipe. I’ve never made bread pudding before, and this was so good. Thank you for sharing it.
Just made this….OMGOODNESS!!! Delicious doesn’t even begin to describe it…phenomenal!! Although I did modify it. I love things rich. So used half and half instead of whole milk and added chopped golden raisins and walnuts…. Thanks so much for posting this…
sounds delish! will try it soon.
Can the bread pudding be made a day or two ahead and refrigerated? We’re going camping and I’d like to take it along for a breakfast dish.
Yes, absolutely!
Just trying this for the first time and the Gentleman that I cook for just Loved it …I did add some raisins and I used up the day old Italian bread We had on hand…I will be making this more often it did not last very long…Thank You again…NJG……
What I like about your recipe is that it can easily be adapted. I find myself with an abundance of apples. It fall in Michigan. I’m going to cook down a bunch of apples with brown sugar, Ceylon cinnamon, and fresh ground nutmeg. I wouldn’t be surprised if a little cardamon wandered its way in. I’ll portion them out in gallon freezer bags, but I’ll leave some out for the bread pudding. I made your basic recipe a few weeks ago and added banana and chocolate chips. Oh, my. I cut back on the cinnamon so that the chocolate chips and cinnamon didn’t clash. Ceylon cinnamon is fruity, so the clash potential was already lower.
Can I use 2 tsp cinnamon instead of nutmeg?
That would be fine!
Hi, Danielle! – I’ve been making a bread pudding recipe like this for so many years. Your recipe is very close to the recipe I’ve used for so long! My hubby doesn’t have a sweet tooth, but he does LOVE my bread pudding! I got my recipe from his mom, which used Italian bread. But I switched to challah bread years ago and never went back! Also, one difference in “Nanny’s” recipe was that she used a bain marie – a hot water bath. I put the serving dish into a roasting pan with hot water. And it really does make a difference, in that it creates a softer texture with a custardy feel. She baked hers for 1 hr 15 minutes, which I assume the extra time is because of the water bath. One more little thing, Nanny’s recipe called for dots of butter on top. Yum! Try it! I think you’ll love it!
Thanks for sharing, Carolyn! I’ll have to try that!
Absolutely wonderful!! It is delicious❤
Can I use french bread?
Yes, that’s fine!
I made this with the help of my 22 month old son. We both enjoyed counting out the eggs and the cups of milk. I like that this recipe doesn’t use many different spoons and cups, and it goes together quickly, and it is forgiving if a little liquid gets spilled by a curious toddler. It tastes delicious too!
Have you ever tried this with blueberry bread? And if so, are there any changes I would need to make?
I haven’t, but I think it would be fine. If the bread is sweet, I would recommend reducing the sugar down to 1/2-3/4 cup.
Do I have to remove the crust from the Chala bread whilst making this pudding
No, you can leave it.
Tried this recipe for the first time, it was delicious. I’ve tried many bread pudding recipes, this one is the best. Thank you.
Should I change or add anything if I add sliced apples?
You can leave the recipe the same and just add the sliced apples. I’ve used diced apples in this and it works just fine!
Oh wonderful! My grandma used to make the same pudding every year around christmas and I had been looking for a recipe since she departed 10 and a bit years ago.
I liked this particular style of bread pudding because it’s quite firm, it’s nicer to present these than their soggy brothers and sisters. 🙂
The only thing I remembered grandma doing was simmering the milk with all the sugar and spices for 20 minutes so the milk would gain all their flavour. Then strain trough a mesh and cool before adding the eggs.
I did it this way and gotta say it threw me back into my old nanna’s lap.
Thank you for this!
Oh, and my wife loves it aswell. She’s made me promise to make this treat instead of any other birthday cake every year from now on.
Thanks again, we wish you a merry christmas and a healthy new year.
Love the idea of simmering the milk with the sugar and spices, I’ll have to try that. So glad you enjoyed the bread pudding, Merry Christmas to you too!