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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Grandmas make the BEST food! I miss my Grandma every day and I loved all of her cooking and recipes that she just made from memory or from old recipe cards. This bread pudding looks fantastic, Danielle! It’s been so long since I’ve had this dish…I would love a slice or two of this for breakfast. Sounds SO good! What a great recipe to remember your husband’s Grandma by!
Thank you, Gayle! I would happily share some with you! 🙂
Am I assuming just one (1) layer of bread by the words “spread it around into “an” even layer? Or are you supposed to fill the entire dish with bread?
Hi, John! I just mean to place the cubed bread in the dish and spread it around evenly.
Do you put the entire loaf of bread in
You use the whole loaf, but you need to cube it into pieces first.
Do you use any kind of syrup on it. Like caramel or anything. The lady I am making this for is 93 years old and only has two weeks to live and and I asked her if there was anything I could do and she said I would like some bread pudding so I am using your precipe for her. Thank you and God bless you
Hi, Jamie! That’s so sweet of you to make this bread pudding for your friend. I think this bread pudding is delicious just served plain or with a little ice cream. But you could also add some caramel sauce on top, here’s my recipe for caramel sauce: http://www.livewellbakeoften.com/homemade-salted-caramel-sauce/. I hope that helps and hope you both enjoy the bread pudding 🙂
Looks yummy! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Thank you, Belinda! Hope you enjoy the bread pudding 🙂
Thank you for your grandma’s recipe. It came in handy.
I am cooking it ake to Church tomorrow.
Thanks again!
Patricia H
I hope everyone enjoys the bread pudding, Patricia!
I saw another bread pudding that called for melted butter over the top while still hot. I think that would make it entirely too rich.
My grandma passed away in January she was 96, she also made us bread pudding. Almost exact recipe although I don’t believe I every seen it written anywhere. She did not care for nutmeg so ours was always made with just the cinnamon, I wish all could have those wonderful memories of having such a warm loving person in their lives…. there is nothing like memories of cooking with grandma in her kitchen, thank you for bringing them back.
I agree, Jennie. I’m so glad the bread pudding brought back those wonderful memories for you! 🙂
I like to use crasins instead of raisins
Craisins are a wonderful idea too!
Hi, Would you do anything to the raisins/craisins before mixing in the mixture?
Percyt
I would just add them to the mixture. If you want them a little more plump, you can soak them in some warm water for a few minutes.
Do you have to use that kind of bread? My husband mentioned bread pudding yesterday. I never had it. I was going to try making it. I only have rolls in the house. Did you ever try anything else?
You can use another kind of bread to make this recipe. I know his grandma used to use 12 slices of regular bread when she would make it. You can probably use rolls too, but I haven’t tried them before so I’m unsure of about how much you’ll need.
With bread pudding u can use any kind of bread
I’ve made bread pudding a few times and it always turned out good. I typically use French or Cuban bread and I always toast them beforehand. I’ve used rolls, sliced bread, I’ve even used hotdog buns and hamburger buns together since they were getting old lol
Thanks for sharing, Andrea!
Oh my dear. Love this recipe. I’m a avid Baker and I love to play around with the recipe. So for this one I changed up a few things. I used one loaf of “Marketside Bake at Home: Pumpkin Raisin Bread. I followed the recipe to the tea… Lol but instead of the nutmeg I added allspice (1/2) two and sprinkled a few roasted flaxseeds in the mix. HUNTIE CHILD… once it was out the oven I drizzled my famous Cream Cheese icing(jus a Lil cream cheese, vanilla flavoring and powered sugar and of course butter). Let’s jus say my big baby was sleep after a rough football practice but soon as this Sat on the counter he flew in the kitchen. It was packed with flavor and Jus delis. Thanks for sharing.. I’ll make sure to post your recipe along wit my swaps on my recipe card.
Pumpkin raisin bread and cream cheese icing sound so wonderful, Pamela. I’ve been wanting to try a pumpkin version of this too, so I love your swaps! So glad you enjoyed the bread pudding too! 🙂
My momma added raisins. Good memories with bread pudding. Going to try this bread pudding.
I know his grandma used to add raisins to her sometimes too, they work really well in this recipe! Hope you enjoy the bread pudding if you give it a try, Jackie 🙂
I used crasins
Here are the changes I made to the recipe. I added one cup of white raisins to the mixture using a very large bowl. Then I added the cut up challah bread, baked it for one hour at 350 and it came out great. Mixing the bread with the liquid before putting it in the pan gave me a more evenly, easy to cut bread pudding. Just a suggestion
Raisins are always wonderful in this bread pudding too, Laura. So glad to hear that you liked it! 🙂
I like this it is almost like mine.I add chopped nuts and raisins.Good and yummy
One of my favorite comfort foods, and I am a big fan of nutmeg so this recipe makes me very happy!
It’s a favorite of mine too, Kathy! Hope you enjoy the bread pudding if you give it a try 🙂
How many cups of bread do you think you used? I am trying to make it work a left over bits of bread!
I think the loaf of challah bread I use comes out to about 9 cups of bread. Hope that helps! 🙂
perfect thanks!
I made it and it was delicious! Question though, does it need to be refrigerated once cooked?
Yes, it does need to be refrigerated once it’s cooled. I usually just reheat it in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds, still tastes great!
I made it before but tried your recipe it was quicker and tastes great .Iadded raisins to mine they loved it thanks Danielle
So glad you enjoyed the bread pudding, Arlene!
I’m using a 2 lb loaf of Apple Fritter Bread..
Increase eggs by two of make a double batch of egg mixture and add as needed?
What you think?
I haven’t tried it with a 2lb loaf of bread yet. I would probably do 1.5x the other ingredients instead of doubling it (so make another half batch) and I *think* that should be enough of the egg mixture.
It would also be too much for a 9×13 pan so you’d probably need another 8×8 or 11×7 pan.
Added some chocolate chips and chopped pecans in mine….was so amazing !
Thank you Danielle darling 🙂
Chocolate and pecans sound wonderful! So glad you liked the bread pudding, Aaliyah!
My grandmaw aleays Added a can of peaches so yummy
Love that idea!
I made this recipe last night and it turned out phenomenal! I did a scoop of vanilla on top with some caramel and wow was it good?
I’m so glad you liked the bread pudding, Paula!
Do you have to use that much sugar? I’d love to try this!
I’ve only ever made it with 1 cup of sugar. You could probably reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup and it would be okay. It makes a 9×13 pan too, so it makes quite a bit 🙂
I absolutely LOVE this recipe…but my family doesnt like nutmeg so I make it using cinnamon only for the spice. It is beautiful and tastes like heaven! My Grammy made this for me as a child and I loved it. This tastes something very similar to hers, if my memory serves me correctly. Thank you, Danielle!!!
I’m so glad to hear that you loved the recipe, Ella! 🙂
Loved this recipe. I had to use brioche bread cause no one had the one the recipe calls for. I used brown sugar instead of white sugar. I also added some all spice. This was so delicious. My husband who don’t like bread pudding really enjoyed it. Thanks for posting
Brioche is a great substitute for the challah bread, I’ve used it before! I’m glad you and your husband enjoyed the bread pudding 🙂
I am trying you’re recipe as we speak will let you know how it turns out…
Hope you enjoyed the bread pudding, Ruth!
Have you ever added sliced apples? I’m interested in doing so but don’t want to tamper with perfection!
Hi, Donna! I have added chopped apple before and it turned out great!
I added 2 chopped apples, 2 sliced bananas, 1 cup raisins and no sugar. Also some chopped walnuts!! It was delicious!!
That sounds delicious, Lynn! I’m glad you liked the bread pudding!
I make this pudding regularly as it has always been a family favourite. Just to make it easier, I buy a loaf of unsliced cinnamon raisin bread and it is yummy. A little quicker as I am not a gourmet cook but this always goes well!
Cinnamon raisin bread would be perfect in this recipe! I’ll have to try that out, Gail 🙂
I haven’t used your recipe yet, though it sounds like the one my family has always used. We add guava paste chunks to it. We just push them down into the bread and milk mixture once everything is in the pan. Mmmmm…I’m making it for Thanksgiving 🙂
I’ve never tried guava paste before, I may have to keep an eye out for some 🙂
I like this recipe but I’m single, I don’t need this much …. is there a recipe for just two?
I don’t have a small batch recipe, but I imagine you could scale the recipe down some and bake it in ramekins. I’ve personally never tried it though.
Would a warm vanilla sauce work for topping instead of caramel? We went on a cruise and they served bread pudding with a warm vanilla sauce. It was wonderful. Do you have recipe for vanilla sauce?
Yes, absolutely! I don’t have a vanilla sauce recipe yet, but I do plan to work on one soon. I’ll be sure to add it to this post when I do 🙂
Hi , please tell me how many ml of milk should I use for the recepi
Because the cup can be of any size
1 cup = 240ml, so you’ll need 960ml of milk for this recipe.
Do you think almond milk could be substituted for the whole milk?
It would probably work fine for this recipe, it just may not be quite as rich as whole milk.
Hello! This sounds wonderful for xmas eve! Can I make ahead of time(day before and refrigerate)? If so how do Iyou suggest i warm it back up in the oven?
That would be fine! I usually reheat slices in the microwave. If you’re wanting to reheat the whole dish in the oven, you could cover it with foil and put it in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes or until it’s warm. Hope you enjoy the bread pudding!
I used coconut milk (3 cans) it was the rich kind with cream, and a can of seeetened condensed milk and 1/cup sugar, some chopped pineapple and golden raisins. It was better than pineapple upside drown cake! I’m sure it was fattening but So good!!
Love the idea of using coconut milk, Julie! I may need to give that a try! 🙂
I love this recipe!! Easy and open to additions.
I like to drizzle whole melted butter over the pudding before it goes in the oven and Finish with rum soaked raspberries and maple syrup>>>>
The raspberries and maple syrup sound great, Barry!
Is it a problem if the bread soaks for a couple of hours? I’m having a big dinner and am trying to time everything?
That should be fine, Jackie. Just cover and refrigerate the bread pudding until you’re ready to bake it.
You can also prep everything, cover, and refrigerate the wet ingredients. Then just whisk the wet ingredients again and pour it over the bread while the oven is preheating. Either way should be fine!
One of my most fond memories. My mother in laws Bread Pudding. It’s a Christmas delight. This recipe is exactly what I remember.
So glad that this bread pudding could bring back those wonderful memories for you, Patricia!
I was rushing and forgot the sugar but I had used homemade raisin and cinnamon bread and it turned out great. Just served it warmed with maple syrup and whipped cream. I had also replaced 2 cups of the milk with 1/2 &1/2 cream.
Cinnamon raisin bread sounds wonderful, Brenda! So glad you liked the bread pudding!
Best bread pudding I ever had, clear instructions and easy recipe. Thank you ?
So glad you liked the bread pudding, Adele!
Bread pudding the comfort dessert from my childhood. My mother saved the ends/crusts from bread in the freezer to make bread pudding. Now I make it, usually with whatever leftover bread/rolls I might have. It is my oldest grandma’s favorite dessert. Our family likes it with whipped cream and REAL maple syrup. I never use a recipe but your recipe is about what I do.
I hate when spell check fails to read my mind…my oldest grandma’s should be grandson’s favorite dessert.
The ends/crusts would work really great in this recipe too! I’ve never tried it with whipped cream and maple syrup, I’ll definitely have to next time though 🙂
Will French bread work with this Recipe if so how much would I need to use?
I think that would work fine! I use a 20 ounce loaf of challah bread, so a similar size would be good. It comes out to about 9-10 cups of cubed bread.
Did this recipe last night, I had eaten French Toast twice in two days and knew I needed something more. I like to cook, new to baking and desserts. This was too easy, came out great, I begged forgiveness from a friend, for finding a shortcut to heaven.
I did a bourbon sauce on top and served in bowl with cream. Will make again for sure. For my sauce i put a stick of butter in small pot, added cup of sugar, added 1/4 cup 100 proof Wild Turkey, an egg, splashes of heavy cream, and bit of nutmeg and allspice, heated low and stirred until. Thanks everyone
Glad you liked the bread pudding, Chris! Thanks for sharing the bourbon sauce recipe too. It sounds fantastic!
Hi Danielle,
I had bread pudding for the first time on a visit to Florida in Sept.17. I made your recipe last night and my husband and I loved it. I do make homemade challah but did not have any on hand….so, I had a sliced loaf of French bread and I worried that it might be odd….but it was delicious!! I always make French toast with Challah so I am looking forward to making the next bread pudding with Challah.
Thanks for sharing.
Wanda
I’m so glad you both loved the bread pudding, Wanda! I’ll sometimes use regular white bread in this recipe, it’s pretty forgiving with different types of bread. 🙂
I totally agree there is nothing like Grandmas bread pudding, the only thing that is different about the pudding is that my grandma always had a container of raisins currants prunes and dates soaking from one year to the next, this mixture was port wine and rum, so her bread pudding had a cup of tipsy fruits, it was great to hear so many people had similar memories of there Grandmothers ?
The soaked fruit sounds fantastic, Jean! I’m glad I shared this recipe, it’s been fun hearing everyone else’s memories of their grandmothers too 🙂
I made this yesterday. Easy to put together, quick and little clean up. The recipe really does fill a large pan. It turned out wonderful! I will make it again ( better than my moms ).
I’m so glad you liked the bread pudding, Helen!
How many slices of regular bread would I have to use if I dont have challah bread?
I believe it’s about 12 slices of bread. This recipe is pretty forgiving though, so if you feel you need a little more or less that should be fine!
Thank you very much ☺
Hi
I made the bread pudding yesterday and it was very yummy
I did have one problem with it and I dont know why it raisec hi and was cooked but as it cooled it went flat. Anyb suggestions
Hi, Betty! It’s normal for it to kind of puff up some as it bakes and sink a little as it cools.
Hi Danielle..this recipe sounds like the bread pudding my mom used to make..she used homemade biscuits left over from breakfast..yes, I agree, nutmeg has to be in there..love your blog..I’m sure your grandma was a super cook..I will be making this bread pudding..I haven’t made any in a while
I’ve never tried using biscuits, but that sounds delicious! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my blog. I’d love to hear if you try this or any other recipes! 🙂
I tried this and unfortunately it will not bake! It’s been in the oven for 2.5+ hrs now and it’s still sooooo raw in the middle and gross
Have you double checked the recipe to make sure you used the correct measurements? And have you checked your oven temperature with an oven thermometer? I’ve made this recipe several times and never had any issues with it not baking properly.
Sounds like you didn’t add enough eggs, either too small or not all 5. Milk doesn’t bake, needs eggs to firm up
Your bread pudding is delicious. For the second time around, I made two additions. While living in England I learned to make Bread and butter pudding. The bread is buttered before mixing with the wet ingredients. Then when the hot pudding is removed from the oven, the top is brushed with orange marmalade that has been warmed. Wonderful!
I’ve never tried adding butter to the bread, but I love that idea! The orange marmalade sounds like it would be wonderful on this too, Mary.
thank you.. very easy but yummy
Oh my word, what a glorious recipe. I ALWAYS have challah leftover after Shabbat. We are only 3 in the family so after breaking the bread i am usually left with about half a loaf… and never know what to do with it, so i google bread pudding and your recipe pop up first MADE WITH CHALLAH!!! Blessings!!! It is de-eee-elish! Hope you don’t mind, but for extra yumminess i added choc chips with the bread…. ooooozi…. thanks, a go-to now!!!!!!!! ❤️❤️ Wish i could send you a photo of how it turned out ?
Chocolate chips are always a good idea, Tanja! I’m glad you enjoyed the bread pudding 🙂
I added some ricotta cheese I had left over and limoncello. Used left over breat, was fantastic. Tks for sharing
The ricotta cheese and limoncello sound so delicious, Pat! Love that idea!
Hi this is the recipe I have been looking for my husband’s Grandma made this but used white bread instead ! all the ingredients are the same THANK YOU ! will be making this ,this weekend !
You can use white bread in this too! My husband’s grandma used to use about 12 slices when she made it. Hope you enjoy the bread pudding!
I’m looking for a firm bread pudding that slices well. Something closer to the consistency of banana bread rather than a custard… Can I get this with your recipe or would a water bath work better? Thanks!:)
This bread pudding is more custardy, but it does still slice just fine.
Making it now. I’m sure it’s going to be yummy! It was delicious! Everyone asked how come you never made this before lol thank you!
So glad you enjoyed the bread pudding!
I just made this recipe and used French toast bagels. Yummy.
The French toast bagels sound delicious, Christine! I’m glad you liked the bread pudding.
Can I substitute yogurt for the milk? What would be the amount difference, if any? I would like to add rum & vanilla to the sauce, how much do you recommend ?
I wouldn’t suggest using yogurt in place of the milk, it would completely change the texture of the bread pudding. And I’m not sure what you mean about the sauce. Do you mean adding rum and vanilla to the caramel sauce?
do not have nutmeg but have cinnamon? will this recipe work without nutmeg? thanks
This recipe will work fine without the nutmeg, it just adds a little more flavor to the bread pudding.
This recipe sounds great and I am about to try it. I am using anise flavored Easter bread do you think it will work out well? We always have Easter bread left over at Easter and I want to try something new with it.
I haven’t tried it yet, but I think it would be fine. This is a pretty forgiving recipe, I’ve used different kinds of bread and it’s always turned out good!
I used left over donuts for my bread hope that’s ok
I think that would probably be fine, it may be a bit sweeter though.
Hi Danielle! This recipe looks amazing. I’ve never made bread pudding before but I know it’s my mom’s favorite so I was going to try to make this for her when I visit for mother’s day.
However if I need to cut this recipe in half, would you recommend 2 or 3 eggs? I’ve read that too much egg can ruin an otherwise great bread pudding recipe so I’m nervous! Haha
Thank you!!!
Thank you, Amber! I’ve cut this recipe in half and baked it in an 8-inch square baking pan. If I remember correctly, I believe I just used 2 eggs. You could probably use 2 eggs + 1 egg yolk to cut it in half, but I think 2 eggs should be fine!
Thank you so much! I was also thinking maybe 2 eggs + 1 yolk. But I’ll try it with just 2 eggs and maybe add a dash of orange liqueur or rum. Fingers crossed! (:
I just made this bread pudding. Wow so simple; delicious; my family loved it! It was scrumptious. Will definitely make it again and recommend to my friends👍
So glad you and your family enjoyed the bread pudding, Rubee! 🙂
MY MOTHER, RUBY, USED HOMEADE BISCUITS FOR HER BREAD PUDDING
I remember as a child that having bread pudding was a true delight! My mother always made a big pan of homemade biscuits every morning for our family of 8. She stored leftover biscuits in fridge until she had enough to make a big pan of Bread Pudding! Using biscuits for your bread is absolutely heavenly!
I love that idea, Brenda! I’ll have to give that a try next time I have some leftover biscuits 🙂
Thankyou very much for this recipie.
I can definitly taste the “grandma-ness” in it.
It very homely and comforting! My elderly dad just passed away so I needed that culinary hug.
I found your recipie because my kids were having end of term shared lunch and my flour was empty but i knew I had the ingredients for a bread pudding, but i needed a bread pudding that could be sliced.
So thats how I found your recipe!
I didn’t make the caramel sauce this time as I had no double/heavy cream, but I will try it next time, and I saw a comment above which recommends pumpkin bread or fruity loaf so I really want to try it with those! again, thank you, I will be making this for my family again (and again)
So glad you enjoyed the bread pudding, Julina! 🙂