New Orleans Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce

New Orleans Bread Pudding

Bread – Most grocery stores with a bakery section sell fresh baked French bread. I suggest buying that, taking it out of the bag, and letting it sit on a counter at room temperature at least overnight and up to two days. This will turn it stale and dried out, perfect for soaking up the liquid.

Raisins – These are traditional, but also optional. Not everyone likes raisins in desserts, but I find they add a bit of flavor and texture. I also soak them for at least an hour in bourbon, so they come out softer and add a pop of bourbon flavor this way.

Bourbon – Most of the bourbon flavor comes from the bourbon sauce, but I add a little to the bread pudding as well. If you’re using raisins, or another dried fruit, soak them in the bourbon beforehand. Use quality bourbon that you would want to drink. Whiskey is fine as well.

Milk – You can use most any kind of dairy milk here besides skim milk. I like a combination of whole milk and heavy cream for a thick, rich flavor.

Sugar – I use a combination of both white and brown sugar in this recipe.

Eggs – Use 3 whole eggs. These combine with the milk and cream to create the custard for making a true bread pudding.

Spices – I like to use a good amount of ground cinnamon and a bit of nutmeg for the flavor here. The amount of cinnamon will seem like a lot at first, but it’s just the right amount after dispersing through the custard.

Vanilla – Use a good amount of vanilla extract here as well. It will also seem like a lot at first but adds just the right amount of flavor and balance without being overwhelming. I used my homemade bourbon vanilla extract here to boost the bourbon flavor.

Bourbon Sauce

Butter – Melt butter for the base of the sauce. Salted or unsalted is fine.

Milk – You can use either more whole milk or heavy cream here. I prefer milk over using an egg, but either one is fine. I find the milk gives the sauce a creamier taste, while egg gives it a thicker, and richer flavor.

Sugar – I use all brown sugar here. I prefer the flavor and color it adds to the sauce as opposed to white sugar or a mixture of both.

Bourbon – The main flavor of the sauce, the later you add this ingredient, the boozier the taste will be. Again, use a bourbon or whiskey that you would like to drink and not just the cheapest stuff you can find. Use the same bourbon you use in the bread pudding. I used Maker's Mark because it's the same bourbon in my homemade bourbon vanilla extract.

Make the Bread Pudding

While the raisins are soaking, work on the bread pudding (unless soaking overnight). Slice the French bread into roughly 1” cubes. You’ll want about 8 cups worth, so you may not need the entire loaf of bread.

Place them in a large mixing bowl and cover with the milk and cream. Press the bread cubes down so that they stay fully submerged. Set aside and let them soak for 15-20 minutes while you make the rest of the custard filling.

In another mixing bowl, whisk the eggs thoroughly, then add both sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk together until the sugars have dissolved. Add this to the bread mixture and gently mix by hand or with a spatula.

(Optionally, I like to reserve about 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and sprinkle it over the top of the bread pudding just before placing it into the oven)

Once the raisins have finished soaking, add them to the mixture and gently fold them together. Pour mixture into a 13x9 baking dish that’s been buttered or use cooking spray. Press the bread pudding down gently, without trying to compress it too much. Allow it to continue soaking in the mixture while you begin to preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C.

Place the baking dish into the middle of the oven, uncovered, and bake for 45-50 minutes. The top should be lightly toasted, and a toothpick should come out clean when it’s done.

Make the Bourbon Sauce

While the bread pudding is baking, you can make the bourbon sauce.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the heavy cream and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat while stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Pour in the bourbon and keep the sauce at a low simmer to reduce until thickened slightly, about 10-15 minutes.

If you prefer an even boozier sauce, simmer and thicken the mixture without the bourbon. Simmer for 15 minutes, then stir in the bourbon off the heat.

The sauce will be slightly thin but should coat the back of a spoon. It will thicken more as it cools.

When the bread pudding is done cooking, let it cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. Add a serving of bread pudding to a plate and pour warm bourbon sauce over the top. Optionally, finish with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on top as well.

Fillings

No Raisin Bread Pudding – If you’re not a fan of raisins, you can simply omit them. If you would like to replace them with something else though for added texture or flavor, consider other dried fruits like sultanas (golden raisins), dried currants, or dried cranberries. Other options include chopped pecans or walnuts, or even chocolate chips. If using nuts or chocolate, skip the bourbon soaking process and fold them in just before baking.

Denser Bread Pudding – For a less rustic style, add about a ½ cup more of whole milk or heavy cream. Slice or tear the bread a little smaller and squeeze the bread cubes as they are soaking. Allow the bread pudding to soak in the baking dish for an hour before baking, and press down into a denser, flatter layer.

Different Breads – French bread is classic for a New Orleans style bread pudding, but you can use other bread if you prefer. Thicker, artisan types of bread are better than sandwich bread, so consider breads like brioche, sourdough, challah, Italian loaves, or ciabatta breads.

Sauces

Richer Bourbon Sauce – Replace the cream in the bourbon sauce with an egg. This makes the sauce a little less creamy in flavor, but richer instead. Melt the butter over low heat. Add the egg and sugar and whisk constantly over low heat until the sugar has dissolved, and the mixture begins to thicken. Keep it on low heat the whole time and don’t allow it to simmer. Off the heat, stir in the bourbon.  

Rum Sauce – If you’re not a fan of bourbon or whiskey, try rum sauce instead. Replace the bourbon in the recipe with a decent quality silver rum or use a spiced rum like Captain Morgan for a different flavor. Experiment too, like trying a coconut rum if you replace the raisins with chocolate chips.

Non-Alcoholic – Omit the bourbon in the bread pudding and make a bread pudding with vanilla sauce instead. For the sauce, use about ½ cup whole milk, ¾ cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon flour (or 2 teaspoons corn starch), ¼ cup butter, ½ cup white or brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Melt the butter, add the milk and cream, bring to a simmer, then add everything but the vanilla. Simmer until the sugar dissolves and let it reduce slightly, then stir in the vanilla off the heat.

❄️ How to Store Bread Pudding

Like any bread pudding, this New Orleans bread pudding with bourbon sauce will need to be stored in the refrigerator. Unless you know that the entire thing will be eaten, I like to keep the bread pudding and bourbon sauce separate and let people pour their own amount of sauce on their portions. This way you can store leftovers of both separately and keep the top of the bread pudding from becoming overly soggy.

Once cooled completely, you can cover the top of the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap or transfer the bread pudding to an airtight container. Transfer the bourbon sauce to a separate airtight container and refrigerate both for 3-5 days.

While you can reheat both in a microwave, I recommend placing portions of bread pudding in a 350°F oven for about 10-15 minutes until warmed throughout, and heating a portion of sauce in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.

If you want to store leftovers for a longer time, you can also freeze them. I recommend wrapping individual portions in plastic wrap, and again in foil and freezing for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat as above. While you could technically freeze the sauce as well, I recommend making fresh sauce for frozen leftovers instead. When you thaw and reheat bourbon sauce from frozen it will likely cause the sauce to break or become grainy and taste watery.