New Orleans Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
With a crisp top and a custardy interior seasoned with warm spices, this New Orleans bread pudding with bourbon sauce is a rich, boozy dessert.
Ingredients
New Orleans Bread Pudding:
- 1 loaf stale French bread, cut into 1” cubes, about 8 cups
- ¼ cup bourbon
- 1 cup raisins, optional, see note
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Bourbon Sauce:
- ½ cup butter
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup bourbon
Directions
- Start with the raisins or other dried fruit, if using. Place 1 cup of raisins in a small bowl and pour ¼ cup bourbon over them. Let them soak in the bourbon for at least an hour and up to overnight. The amount of bourbon isn’t enough to fully submerge the raisins, so be sure to stir them occasionally.
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 2 ½ cups whole milk and 1 cup heavy 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 3 large eggs thoroughly, then add 1 cup white granulated sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (bourbon vanilla if you have it), 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon ground 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 ½ cup butter (1 stick) over medium-low heat. Add ¼ cup heavy cream and 1 cup brown sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat while stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Pour in ¼ cup 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 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.
Equipment Used
Notes
1) Raisins – 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.
2) Bread – 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.
3) Non-Alcoholic – If you need a version without alcohol, omit the bourbon in the bread pudding and make a bread pudding with vanilla sauce instead. Technically vanilla extract still has alcohol, but this will give you a more kid-friendly, non-boozy tasting version. If you need it 100% alcohol free, you can omit the vanilla or look for non-alcoholic vanilla.
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.
4) Nutrition Information – The nutrition info above is per slice of bread pudding if you get exactly 10 portions from it. I didn’t include the bourbon sauce since people will drizzle different amounts depending on the person, or none. The entire amount of bourbon sauce made in the recipe is roughly 2,000 calories and 200g of sugar though.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 sliceCalories: 408kcalCarbohydrates: 64gProtein: 8gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 252mgPotassium: 319mgFiber: 2gSugar: 37gCalcium: 134mgIron: 2mg
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