Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
Every child has their own list of favorite desserts. Back then, mine was Tarte au Sucre, Chocolate Éclairs, Chocolate Cake, Mille-feuille, Pecan Pie, Butterscotch Pudding, Bûche de Noël (Yule Log), Fruitcake, and Lemon Meringue Pie. Now, my list is even longer, lol! I’m not kidding you! I think of a nice Pavlova, Black Forest Cake, Baklava, Crème Brûlée, Baked Alaska, Lava Cake, Cannoli, and I can go on and on…
There is a dessert that I grew up with and have never been a fan of until I decided to elevate it in my 30s’. After tweaking it, I finally got it just right! I’m talking about my Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce and it’s simply incredible! With a nice crispy top and an amazing soft texture inside, this sweet casserole is pure deliciousness! To make it even more decadent, a rich and tasty sauce is spooned over… this is certainly not the dessert I grew up with!
When there’s stale bread around, people think of making this featured dessert. Pouring a flavorful custard over and soaking it revives the bread… that’s true. Although it’s a great way to use up your day or two old bread, it doesn’t have to be stale. Fresh can be used just as well. In fact, the results might be as good or better.
The preferred bread for this Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce recipe is either Challah or Brioche. The next best substitutes are Hawaiian Bread or a French Loaf. The week I scheduled to film this dessert, I was challenged with time and couldn’t make any of them from scratch. I went to my supermarket hoping to find Challah or Brioche. Unfortunately, they were sold out so I grabbed a French loaf and the results were as tasty as when I use either one of the eggy breads.
I like to soak the raisins in bourbon. It helps to soften them and also infuses them while the fruit’s natural juices are drawn out, flavoring the soaking liquor in return. Although I love bourbon, other times I might opt for rum instead. I simply swap the ingredients and soak my fruit in rum while making the sauce with the same liquor.
In the making of the custard, I like using ground cinnamon and “freshly” ground nutmeg. I prefer it over the pre-ground bottle because the aroma is intensified. You can find whole nutmeg anywhere and it keeps for years as long as it’s not ground and stored in an airtight container in a cold dark area.
This Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce version is so decadent and rich! What really elevates this dessert is definitely the liquor which is used to soak the raisins, mixed in the egg custard and the making of the sauce… does anyone ever have enough bourbon?
Bon Appétit!
Here are more scrumptious dessert recipes for you to try…
– Tiramisu
– Key Lime Pie
– Cream Cheese Carrot Cake
– Silk & Satin Chocolate Pie
– Cherries Jubilee
– Sticky Toffee Pudding
– Tropical Pineapple Upside Down Cake
and for even more dessert recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • Dessert
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Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
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Ingredients
PUDDING
- 1/2 cup Thompson raisins
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, plus more to grease the baking dish tips & tricks
- 4 large free-range eggs, beaten
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp. ground Himalayan sea salt
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
- 14 cups (15 oz.) bread such as Challah, Brioche, Hawaiian or French loaf, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 tbsp. confectioners' sugar, or as needed for dusting tips & tricks
BOURBON SAUCE
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter tips & tricks
- 2 tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 1 pinch ground Himalayan sea salt
Directions
PUDDING
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the raisins and pour over the bourbon. Stir to coat and when it’s about to simmer, remove from the heat; let the fruit macerate for 30 minutes.
- Scoop up the soaked raisins into a bowl using a slotted spoon and reserve the liquid for later.
- Preheat oven to 350º and grease a 3-quart baking dish with butter; set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium-heat, add butter, half-and-half, milk, sugar and ground sea salt.
- Stir until the sugar dissolves and heat the mixture until the bubbles begin to form around the edges and the milk starts to steam – make sure it doesn’t simmer.
- Remove from the heat and temper the beaten eggs by slowly adding a little amount of the hot mixture at a time, whisking constantly.
- When the egg temperature is brought up, add the mixture to the saucepan, whisking continuously.
- To this, add pure vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, freshly ground nutmeg and the reserved bourbon. Whisk the ingredients until nicely blended and set aside.
- Add half of the bread cubes to the prepared baking dish and half of the soaked raisins; repeat the layers.
- Pour over half of the custard. Press down gently with clean hands to compact the bread mixture before pouring the rest of the custard over.
- Transfer the casserole to the preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes.
- About 25 to 30 minutes through cooking, cover with foil to prevent the top from getting too dark; continue baking for the remaining time.
BOURBON SAUCE
- While the pudding is baking, make the sauce. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter before adding flour; whisk constantly for 2 minutes.
- Pour in a small amount of milk while whisking continuously and continue adding until it’s all in and the mixture is smooth without any lumps; whisk for 2 minutes.
- Add sugar, bourbon and ground sea salt. Whisk constantly for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Remove bread pudding from the heat and sprinkle on confectioners’ sugar. Serve warm with a generous spoonful of hot bourbon sauce.
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