Bread Pudding with Bourbon Cream Sauce

Name: Bread Pudding with Bourbon Cream Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 125 min
Ingredients: 1/4 cup raisins (optional); 2 tablespoons Bourbon; 6 & 1/2 cups cubed French Bread (12 oz loaf); 2 cups half and half; 1 cup milk; 3 eggs (beaten); 1 cup brown sugar; 2 teaspoons vanilla; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg; pinch of salt; ~For the Bourbon Sauce~; 1 cup heavy cream; 2 tablespoons Bourbon; 1/2 cup Milk; 2 egg yolks; 1/4 cup sugar; Pinch of Salt; 1 tablespoon corn starch; 1 tablespoon butter; 1 teaspoon vanilla

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Southern Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce is a traditional old fashioned recipe. Using French bread, raisins and the best Bourbon to create a decadent sauce folks will love.

bread pudding with bourbon cream sauce over the top

Southern Recipes, done right.

There are a whole host of recipes that are thought to be originally from the South. Truthfully, most of these traditional recipes came over on the Mayflower or later with English settlers. Bread Pudding is one of those. Now, to say it didn’t get its origins in the South is somewhat stretching it. I believe when the settlers came here, they used what was available to them and somehow made recipes better and gave them a regional fare.

Another such recipe like this is, OLD FASHIONED PEACH COBBLER. Some desserts like cakes and puddings could not be made here when the settlers first came due to scarcity of ingredients. They got creative! They developed the recipes we know and love today. This recipe can be kind of cumbersome, even though it is a traditional one, we are going to show you how to make it and make it great.

Ingredients

1/4 cup raisins (optional)– try not to leave them out if you can, even if you don’t love raisins, they are soaked in bourbon and add texture to the recipe!

2 tablespoons Bourbon– soaking vehicle to make really good raisins!

6 & 1/2 cups cubed French Bread (12 oz loaf) – traditionally day old bread was used. French bread holds up well and also cooks with a delicious texture.

2 cups half and half – using half and half with the milk adds fat and fat always equals flavor!

1 cup milk– perfect for soaking the bread.

3 eggs, beaten– used as a binder to help set the pudding

1 cup brown sugar– adds more depth of flavor than just regular sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla– a basic component to any sweet recipe that adds sweetness and a hint of caramel .

1 teaspoon cinnamon– warm spices compliment the sweet

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg– another warm spice almost undetectable

pinch of salt– to make the sweet that much sweeter

~For the Bourbon Sauce~

1 cup heavy cream– for thickening and the fat equals flavor principle

2 tablespoons Bourbon– Bourbon is a good thing. Don’t worry, most of the alcohol cooks away

1/2 cup Milk– to help with the cream in the sauce

2 egg yolks– the binding or custard for the sauce

1/4 cup sugar– sweet is as sweet does!

Pinch of Salt– to help sweeten without bitterness

1 tablespoon corn starch– another thickening agent to help the bourbon along

1 tablespoon butter – to add shine and smoothness to the sauce. It also keeps it just loose enough to avoid being too custardy.

1 teaspoon vanilla– a depth of flavor to help the flavor of the bourbon

How to Make It

Bread Pudding can be a little work. Like some of our other recipes though, this labor of love is totally worth the time and effort you put into it. Truthfully, if you are looking for a really easy bread pudding recipe, just go to a restaurant and order it. This is something you want to stay with. Special recipes are special for a reason.

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For the Pudding

In a small boiler, heat raisins with bourbon to simmer. Simmer just until raisins puff up and some of alcohol evaporates. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, mix half and half, milk, eggs and brown sugar. Mix well. Stir in vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
Add cubed bread and bourbon/raisin mixture to custard. Stir well to coat bread. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit. Pour bread pudding mixture in a lightly greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake 1 hour. Cool.

For the Bourbon Cream Sauce

While pudding is baking make Bourbon sauce. In a saucepan, add heavy cream, milk, and sugar over medium heat. In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch with bourbon and set aside.
Using another bowl, whisk egg yolks together and set aside. Add cornstarch and bourbon mixture to cream mixture in saucepan. Bring to a boil and softly boil to reduce to half. About 3 minutes. Take small ladle fulls of cream mixture and temper in egg yolks, doing a small bit at a time as not to cook yolks. Add tempered yolks to cream mixture and cook for 1 minute.
Stir in salt, butter and vanilla. Remove from heat and cover until ready to serve over Bread Pudding.

Tips and Tricks

How can I make Bread Pudding from Scratch?

Don’t skip on the cream sauce/custard. Making it from scratch really only involves the sauce as the recipe for the pudding itself is fairly simple. Like a lot of other scratch recipes, it is the custard or sauces that trip people up. Just stay with it. That is the best advice I can give.

Do I need to store the pudding in the refrigerator?

Yes. Personally, I don’t think it will last long enough to matter but if you do need to store it and reheat, do so by covering with foil and reheating on low heat for about 10-15 minutes. To reheat the cream sauce, I would do that over low heat in a boiler on the stove as well.

What happens if some of my egg yolks cook a bit?

No worries! If you do get some small bits of cooked egg yolk, simply strain your sauce to remove it. You shouldn’t have to start all over for just a few bits. Strain those suckers out and carry on!

close up of bread pudding on floral plate

floral plate place setting with bread pudding

For another delicious decadent dish, check out our friend Margaret’s recipe for BOURBON AND VANILLA FRENCH TOAST .

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