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Cranberry Bread Pudding with Vanilla Custard Sauce

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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 8

Equipment

  • 9x13-inch baking dish The ideal size to ensure even baking and enough room for the custard to soak into the bread without overflowing.
  • Mixing bowls You’ll need at least two — one for the custard base and one for mixing the bread and cranberries.
  • Whisk For blending the eggs and custard mixture smoothly.
  • saucepan For making the vanilla custard sauce.
  • Rubber spatula Useful for scraping down the sides of the bowls and folding ingredients together.
  • Wire Rack For cooling the bread pudding without it becoming soggy on the bottom.
  • Alternative tools If you don’t have a whisk, a fork can work in a pinch. And if you don’t have a 9x13 dish, two 8x8 pans will do.

Ingredients
  

For the Bread Pudding

  • 6 cups of day-old bread brioche, challah, or soft dinner rolls, cubed
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup whipped cottage cheese adds creaminess and protein
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter for greasing

For the Vanilla Custard Sauce

  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions
 

Preheat and Prep

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease your 9x13-inch baking dish with butter and set it aside.

Cube the Bread

  1. Cut your day-old bread into 1-inch cubes. If the bread is too fresh, toast the cubes in the oven for about 10 minutes to dry them out slightly — this helps them absorb the custard without becoming mushy.

Make the Custard

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, milk, cream, whipped cottage cheese, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. The whipped cottage cheese not only adds richness but also sneaks in some protein — a trick borrowed from healthier cottage cheese recipes.

Assemble the Pudding

  1. Toss the cubed bread and cranberries together in the greased baking dish. Pour the custard mixture evenly over the bread, pressing down gently with a spatula to make sure all the bread is soaked. Let it sit for 10 minutes so the bread can fully absorb the liquid.

Bake

  1. Bake the pudding for 40–45 minutes, or until the top is golden and the center is just set. A knife inserted in the middle should come out mostly clean. Let it cool on a wire rack while you make the sauce.

Make the Vanilla Custard Sauce

  1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine milk, cream, and sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolk with cornstarch. Slowly temper the yolk by adding a small amount of the hot milk mixture into it, whisking constantly. Pour the tempered egg back into the saucepan, whisking until thickened (about 3–5 minutes). Remove from heat, stir in butter and vanilla, and let it cool slightly before serving.

Serve

  1. Cut the warm bread pudding into squares and serve with a generous drizzle of vanilla custard sauce. A sprinkle of powdered sugar or a few extra cranberries on top makes it even more festive.