Traditional Sourdough Bread Pudding
An old-fashioned recipe for sourdough bread pudding using sourdough brioche. Turn stale, leftover brioche into a delicious dessert by baking it in a vanilla and cinnamon spiced egg and milk mixture. Almond butter and sliced almonds add extra flavor and texture to this traditional English bread and butter pudding.
Why you’ll love my sourdough bread pudding
Quick and easy: Bread and butter pudding is as simple as soaking your leftover sourdough brioche or bread in a flavored milk, egg, and butter mixture, and baking it in the oven. You’ll have a delicious dessert in just over half an hour.
Staple ingredients: Milk, butter, eggs, and some flavorings are all you need. Staple ingredients you’ll most likely have in your pantry and fridge.
Reduce food waste: Especially homemade sourdough brioche shouldn’t go to waste given the time you’ve spent making it. This is a great recipe to save bread from going to waste.
Ingredients
- Sourdough brioche – I use 4 large sourdough brioche buns or half of my sourdough brioche loaf for this recipe. Alternatively, you can use regular, yeasted brioche buns or slices, sourdough, or yeasted bread. Just soak sourdough or regular bread longer in the egg mixture as brioche absorbs it fairly quickly.
- Eggs – I recommend using medium-sized free-range eggs at room temperature.
- Sugar – White castor sugar works well for this recipe. You can also use brown sugar for a deeper flavor. Icing or powdered sugar is used as a garnish.
- Butter – Melted, salted butter is used in this recipe. You can also opt for unsalted butter, simply add a pinch of salt to the egg mixture in that case.
- Milk – Full-fat milk works well for this recipe. You can substitute it with lower-fat options if needed.
- Vanilla – Vanilla extract gives this bread pudding depth of flavor. You can substitute it with vanilla essence or fresh vanilla beans.
- Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon again adds extra flavor. You can omit this or reduce the quantity.
- Almonds – Smooth almond butter and slivered almonds give this recipe a nutty flavor and add extra texture. You can omit those for a nut-free version.
Variations
- Dried fruit: Raisins are traditionally included in bread and butter pudding and make a great addition to this recipe. You can also add dried dates, currants, or apricots for a fruity twist.
- Chocolate: Sweet, semi-sweet, or white chocolate chips or chunks all make tasty additions to this dessert. You can also add dollops of Nutella before adding the egg mixture. Some shaved chocolate also works well as an alternative garnish to icing sugar.
- Fresh or frozen fruit: Fruit makes such a great addition to bread puddings. Red berries including blueberries and raspberries, cherries, and plums work particularly well. Just make sure you drain them thoroughly especially if you use frozen options. Apple, pear, peach, pineapple, banana, and rhubarb are popular options as well.
- Alcohol: Baileys, amaretto, and egg nog all make great additions to bread and butter puddings for an adult-only dessert. Simply pour the chosen alcohol over the brioche pieces when you’re adding the melted butter.
- Christmas: Make it a festive dessert by adding star anise, cardamom, clove, and ginger spices to the egg mixture.
- Pumpkin: You can add some pumpkin puree and spice to the egg mixture for a Fall-inspired bread and butter pudding.
Serving tips
Here are a few easy sweet topping ideas for your bread and butter pudding:
- Vanilla ice cream
- Whipped cream or mascarpone cream
- Maple syrup
- Stewed apples and pears
- Honey lavender syrup
- Caramel sauce
- Vanilla custard
- Macerated blueberries or rhubarb coulis
FAQ
Yes, you can freeze it for up to 3 months. Just make sure you’re placing it in freezer-proof container leaving some room at the top as the mixture will slightly expand. Defrost it slightly at room temperature and transfer it to an oven-proof dish before baking it in the oven. It will need to be baked longer as the pudding needs to defrost first. Check it after 30 minutes and bake it until the egg mixture is set and everything is piping hot.
You can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. For longer-term storage, you can keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Yes, you can easily reheat it in the oven or microwave.
Related recipes
If you like this delicious comforting dessert, make sure to check out the following recipes:
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Traditional Sourdough Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 4 brioche buns or thick brioche bread slices
- 4 eggs
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp almond butter smooth
- 3 tbsp butter melted
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- 1 tsp icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).
- To make the egg mixture, whisk the eggs in a large bowl and add the milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and almond butter. Combine everything well.4 eggs, 2 1/2 cups milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tbsp almond butter
- Grease a medium casserole dish or baking tin with some butter and add the sourdough brioche buns. Pull them apart into 2x2cm pieces by hand and distribute them evenly.4 brioche buns
- Pour over the melted butter followed by the egg mixture. Sprinkle over the slivered almonds. Let it sit for 5 minutes for the egg mixture to fully soak through the sourdough brioche.3 tbsp butter, 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- Bake the sourdough bread pudding in the oven for 25 minutes or until the egg mixture is fully set. Remove it from the oven and let is cool slightly. Add a generous dusting of icing sugar before serving with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!1 tsp icing sugar