About This Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce Recipe
Bread pudding with bourbon sauce is an easy, comforting dessert recipe that’s perfect for the holiday season. The brown butter bourbon sauce is simple and made with just three ingredients: Land O Lakes® Butter, brown sugar, and bourbon.
The bread pudding recipe instructs you to layer the bottom and the top of the pudding with this bourbon sauce. Doing so results in a super flavorful bread pudding with a sugary crust. It’s an easy bread pudding recipe with white bread!
And when combined with the vanilla flavors of a generous scoop of ice cream? Absolutely delicious!
A big thank you to Land O’Lakes sponsoring this recipe. Learn more in the blog post, and thank you for supporting the sponsors that keep Hummingbird High up and running!
For more holiday desserts, check out this Earl Grey Tiramisu, this Eggnog Sheet Cake, and this Creme Brulee Without A Torch Recipe!
What You Need
Ingredient Recommendations, Sources, and Substitutions
- Butter. Real Talk: Land O Lakes® Butter is the all-purpose, MVP butter I use in my baking recipes. To me, Land O Lakes® Butter is the standard to which I hold all other butters. It improves every recipe—baking or otherwise—that I use it in. I love it so much that I even used it while testing all the recipes in my cookbook, Weeknight Baking!
- Brown Sugar. Brown sugar is available in two varieties: light or dark. Dark brown sugar is my personal preference. Because it contains more molasses, I find it to be more flavorful. However, you can use either in this bread pudding recipe without altering its flavor too much. Granulated sugar also works in this recipe. However, your bourbon sauce will likely be missing some of the butterscotch flavors you would get if you used brown sugar.
- Bourbon Whiskey. Feel free to use whatever kind of (non-bourbon) whiskey you have on hand instead. It will still be delicious, I promise. You can also substitute the bourbon whiskey with another amber- or brown-colored, grain-based, high-proof alcohol. Brandies, rums, and tequilas are probably your best bet. Beer is okay too; however, your cake will be less flavorful since beer isn’t as high-proof as the liquors I listed.
- White Bread. f you want to go the extra mile, I recommend using an enriched bread—that is, bread made with eggs and sugar in its dough—to make this bread pudding recipe. I especially recommend brioche, challah, or even holiday panettone bread.
Why do I need to use stale bread for bread pudding?
Bread gets stale as moisture evaporates from it over time; as it does, the bread texture changes from soft and fluffy to stiff and dry. In theory, this dry texture allows the bread to absorb more of the milk and eggs needed to make the pudding. I like to think of the bread as a sponge. A dry sponge absorbs more liquid than a sponge that is already wet and full.
Recipe Troubleshooting and FAQ
Help! I want to make this recipe but don’t have stale bread. What can I do?
Great question! I sometimes make stale bread for recipes by laying out slices of the bread on a wire rack and letting it sit uncovered overnight. The next day, the bread is pretty stale already! You can also speed up the process by placing it in front of a fan (though sometimes, if the bread is too light, it can blow away—so watch out!). Another friend of mine swears that putting the bread slices on a wire rack in the fridge overnight yields even better results, too.
If you don’t want to wait overnight, you can “toast” the bread to help dry it out. Slice the bread into 1- to 1 ½- inch cubes. Place the cubes on a baking sheet and toast in the oven at 350ºF for about 20 minutes, turning the cubes halfway through the bake time to promote even toasting.
Can I make the recipe the day before I’m planning on serving it?
Yes! In fact, doing so yields an even more delicious bread pudding since you allow the bread more time to absorb the pudding. To turn this into a “make ahead” recipe, follow the recipe instructions to make the bourbon sauce and pudding, soak the bread cubes, and assemble the bread pudding. However, instead of baking the bread pudding, simply cover the top of the cake pan with a tight layer of plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to bake. The unbaked bread pudding will keep for around 24 hours in the fridge.
Can you freeze bread pudding with bourbon sauce?
Yes, with reservations. This recipe instructs you to dress the bread pudding three times with the bourbon sauce. First, it instructs you to pour ⅓ of the sauce into the bottom of the baking pan. Then, it instructs you to drizzle ⅓ of the sauce over the bread pudding before baking. Finally, it instructs you to serve the baked bread pudding with the remaining sauce.
If you plan on freezing the bread pudding, I recommend skipping the second and third pours of bourbon sauce. If you freeze the pudding after pouring the sauce on top, it will make the bread pudding overly soggy when you rewarm it.
To freeze bread pudding, tightly wrap the baking dish in two layers of plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months. To serve and rewarm, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then for an hour at room temperature. Rewarm in the oven at 350ºF for about 20 minutes. Be extra careful when using a glass or ceramic pan—these types of pans are sensitive to sudden temperature changes. A cold pan can shatter if placed in a warm oven. Be sure to thaw the dish so that it’s close to room temperature when you place it in the oven for rewarming!
Best Recipe Tips
Ingredient Tip
- Use a serrated knife with a sharp blade to slice the bread into 1- and 1 ½- inch cubes. Don’t worry about being too precise—the bread eventually gets mashed together! If you don’t have a digital food scale at home, you need around 7 to 8 cups of bread cubes for this bread pudding with bourbon sauce recipe.
Serving Tip
- The remaining bourbon sauce tends to harden and crystallize the longer it sits. Be sure to rewarm it slightly—either in the microwave or in a small sauce pot on the stovetop—before serving as a side with the rest of the bread pudding.
Get the Recipe: Bread Pudding with Brown Butter Bourbon Sauce
Ingredients
For the Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
- 6 Tablespoons (3 ounces or 85 grams) Land O Lakes® Salted Butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup tightly packed (7.5 ounces or 213 grams) light OR dark brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (2.65 ounces or 75 grams) bourbon whiskey
- 4 large eggs
- ⅓ cup (2.35 ounces or 67 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups (16 ounces or 454 grams) whole milk
- 16 ounces (454 grams) stale white bread cubes
Instructions
For the Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
- First, make the bourbon sauce. In a light-colored saucepan, melt the Land O Lakes® Salted Butter over medium-low heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until it starts to foam. Use a heatproof rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan occasionally to prevent the milk solids in the butter from burning. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the butter smells nutty and is amber with dark flecks at the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and immediately whisk in the brown sugar and bourbon whiskey. Set on a wire rack to cool while you prep the other ingredients.
- Prep your oven and pan. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch square cake pan with cooking spray.
- Make the pudding. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until light and foamy. Add the sugar, vanilla, and salt and whisk until combined. Gradually add the milk and whisk until combined.
- Place the bread cubes in a large bowl. Pour the pudding mixture over the bread and use a rubber spatula to gently toss the bread until all bread is moistened.
- Assemble the bread pudding. Pour ⅓ of the bourbon sauce into the prepared cake pan. Pick up the pan and tilt it from side to side to spread the bourbon sauce across the bottom of the pan. Scoop the bread into the prepared pan and pour any remaining pudding mixture over it. Drizzle another ⅓ of the bourbon sauce over the bread. Use a rubber spatula to press gently on the bread to help it absorb the liquid.
- Bake the bread pudding. Bake the pudding for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the sides of the pudding is set but the center still wobbles slightly. A skewer inserted into the center of the pudding should come out with a few crumbs attached.
- Serve and store. Serve the bread pudding warm or at room temperature, with a side of the remaining ⅓ bourbon sauce. You can serve it in its baking dish, or pre-slice the pudding into squares for serving. The pudding will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day. After that, transfer to the refrigerator and refrigerate for up to 2 more days.
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Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule
Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.
Hi. Are you sure this dessert is meant for 15 people? Also I now have dessert recipe 2 for Thanksgiving so thank you!
Hahah, are you looking for a bigger or smaller dessert? Not gonna lie… I based the serving size by slicing the 9 x 9 inch version into squares similar to brownies. But my fiance and I definitely ate like a third of this pudding in one sitting… so I think it really depends on how generous/skimpy your portions are.
I tried this recipe having never had bread pudding before. My husband and I loved it. Super easy to make. I’m not sure if it’s supposed to deflate as much as it did, but it still tasted amazing!
Love this recipe! But hosting a smaller group of 3 tonight. Can I halve the recipe and just bake for 1/2 the amount of time?
Yes! The recipe halves easily. However, Bake Time doesn’t change all that much. I would check for doneness maybe 10 minutes before the recipe states?
I usually never comment on recipes, but I have been on the search for the best bourbon bread pudding for years. This one is the winner! The layering of the sauce on the bottom and top= game changer!
Can you make this in a Crock Pot?
Probably, but I’ve never done it myself (I sadly don’t own a crockpot) so I don’t have any advice on how to do so!
Why in the world do you make a 10 foot long posting for one of the simplest recipes around?
late stage capitalism, babes
I love de-constructed cuisine!
This looks delicious but I am very intimidated to even go back and look at the recipe to make it. There are so many ads interfering and the post is so long, much much too long.
This recipe turned out well. I had some leftover pound cake I added to the bread cubes , I also added cinnamon and allspice to the egg batter. Then 1/2 C. raisins and some walnuts on top. Next time I may add some chd. apple w/ a bit more granulated sugar.
I enjoyed this because it wasn’t overly sweet, and didn’t require heavy cream!
I only have skim milk in the house atm. May I use that instead of whole milk? Will it affect the outcome?
Skim milk is fine in this recipe!
Looking to make this for Thanksgiving but would like to add about a half cup dried cranberries and apples soaked in bourbon. Do I need to make any adjustments?
No adjustments needed, those additions sound amazing!!!
Delicious! I also add a few golden raisins.
This sounds amazing!
Meanwhile, the picture doesn’t match the recipe, and I’m not sure what those white piles are are in the center. Ice cream? Chantilly cream? Some other serving suggestion? Thanks.
It’s ice cream but you can serve it plain or with whipped cream—whatever you enjoy with bread pudding!
Making for a large group who will likely be craving more than a brownie-size serving. If I double the recipe, should I use a 9×13 pan? How should the baking time be adjusted?
Thinking of adding some dried cherries soaked in bourbon… would that be overpowering on the bourbon?
Hi! Yes, if doubling the recipe, use a 9×13-inch pan. Bake Time should be around the same, but might require an extra 5-10 minutes (especially if using cherries soaked in bourbon—that sounds delicious!).