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 Josh’s family for years and comes from his Grandmother Linda. Josh 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 is the memories and her amazing bread pudding recipe.
I mean, you know a recipe is good when it comes from grandma. Right?
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. I think Josh’s grandma used slices of toasted white bread when she would make it. But, I really love challah bread in this recipe so that’s what I always use.
You do want to use day-old bread or bread that’s dry and doesn’t have much moisture in it. 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 it for about 8-10 minutes. You don’t want to completely toast the bread, just dry it out.
Then you’ll whisk together some eggs, sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and spices. You’ll 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 it bakes the bread will absorb the liquid, so don’t worry.
As for the spices, there’s just a little bit of ground cinnamon and nutmeg mixed in. Whatever you do don’t leave them out! I feel like the spices, especially the nutmeg, really make this bread pudding.
Once you mix up the wet ingredients, you’ll pour it over the bread in your pan. Then 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. What I like to do is prep 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.
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.
Grandma's Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 loaf day-old challah bread cubed into 1-inch pieces*
- 5 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon 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 oven to 350°F. Once the 15 minutes is over, place the bread pudding in the oven and bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes or until the top is set.
-
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.
Recipe Notes
I typically use a 20-ounce loaf of challah bread for this recipe.
If you have a fresh loaf of challah bread, you can cube it into 1-inch pieces, place them on a baking sheet, and bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes, stirring often, until the bread is dried out.
I believe that anyone, even beginners, can bake amazing desserts!
I also add butterscotch chips with chocolate chips to mine
That sounds fantastic, Marilyn!
Sounds so yummy
Should the liquid mixture cover all the bread when poured in?
It may not cover all of it. You can kind of press the bread down that’s on top or just spoon some of the liquid on top. It will soak up the mixture as it sits and bake up just fine though!
Do you serve the same or next day? Served warm or room temp? Thanks, looks super tasty – one of my father’s faves that I want to make for his birthday!
You can serve it the same day or next day. I prefer to serve it warm, so either once it’s cooled some after I take it out of the oven or you can reheat servings in the microwave. Hope you enjoy it if you try it!
This is a wonderful go to revipe. I use any bread I have on hand. Rolls,bagels hotdog buns etc. as long as it fills pan. Very good always.
Thank you, Christina! So glad you liked the bread pudding!
Do you store this in fridge or at room temp on the counter?
I suggest storing it in the fridge. You can reheat individual servings in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.
Could I use raisins or nuts and if so, how much?>
Yes, absolutely! I would use 1 cup of either raisins or nuts. If you want to use both, start with 1/2 cup of each and add more to your personal preference.
That sounds good because if you don’t have raisins this is still a great desert. I think I’ll freeze some so it won’t go bad because it’s only myself and husband Thank you. I’m willing to taste without the raisins.
Thank you
Hope you enjoy the bread pudding!
How much is a loaf of bread? Do you have a weight estimate?
I use a 20-ounce loaf of bread for this recipe.
Thanks. It’s in the over now.
Hope you enjoyed the bread pudding!
I am using a 9*9 baking dish. Should I half the recipe?
Thanks!
Yes, I would cut it in half for a 9×9 pan 🙂
Is this a good recipe??
Yes! I wouldn’t post a recipe on my site if I didn’t think it was good 🙂
If useing white bread like Josh’s grandmother, what would be the suggested amount? 20 Oz?
You can use 12 slices of bread.
Hi,
I’m thinking of making this bread pudding, but I was thinking of doing it in a bundt pan. Is it possible to do so, and if yes, do I need to alter the temperatures or cooking times at all?
Thank you
I think it would be fine to use a bundt pan. I haven’t tried it yet, but I imagine the baking time would be pretty similar using the same oven temperature.