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Bread Pudding with Caramel Whiskey sauce

Bread Pudding with Caramel Whiskey Sauce

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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 10

Equipment

  • 9x13-inch baking dish Ideal for even baking. You could also use a deep ceramic casserole dish.
  • Large Mixing Bowl Needed to whisk the custard.
  • Medium saucepan For preparing the caramel whiskey sauce.
  • Whisk and wooden spoon A whisk helps fully incorporate the eggs into the custard.
  • Aluminum foil Helps prevent over-browning during baking.
  • Knife and Cutting Board For cubing the bread.
  • Ladle or Measuring Cup To pour custard over bread evenly.
  • Alternative equipment If you want a hands-off version, this recipe can be adapted into a crockpot bread pudding by layering everything in a greased slow cooker and cooking on low for 3-4 hours.

Ingredients
  

For the Bread Pudding

  • 1 loaf brioche bread about 12 oz, day-old, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 5 large eggs
  • 2 ½ cups whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened (for greasing)

Optional: ½ cup golden raisins or chopped pecans for texture

For the Caramel Whiskey Sauce

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons whiskey bourbon, Irish whiskey, or any preferred brand
  • Pinch of salt

Instructions
 

Step 1: Prepare the Bread

  1. Use day-old brioche for the best texture — it soaks up custard without turning to mush. If your bread is fresh, toast the cubes in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes to dry them out slightly.

Step 2: Make the Custard

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, both sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. This forms the base of your custard bread pudding recipe — smooth, creamy, and sweet with just the right spice.

Step 3: Combine Bread and Custard

  1. Grease your baking dish with butter. Add the bread cubes, spreading them evenly. If using raisins or nuts, sprinkle them in now. Slowly pour the custard over the bread, ensuring even coverage. Press gently with a spatula so all bread is soaked.
  2. Let the mixture sit for at least 15 minutes to fully absorb the custard — don’t skip this step! For deeper flavor, cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours before baking.

Step 4: Bake

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake another 20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the custard is set (a knife should come out mostly clean when inserted in the center).
  2. Let it rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the sauce.

Step 5: Make the Caramel Whiskey Sauce

  1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and water. Stir just until sugar dissolves, then stop stirring and let the mixture come to a boil. Watch closely — it’ll turn a deep amber color in 5–7 minutes.
  2. Remove from heat immediately and carefully whisk in cream (it will bubble up), then add butter, whiskey, and a pinch of salt. Stir until smooth.

Step 6: Serve

  1. Drizzle warm caramel whiskey sauce generously over each serving. It’s the ultimate upgrade to traditional bread and butter pudding — sweet, decadent, and a little grown-up.