Bourbon Bread Pudding

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This recipe is a year-round favorite and a super easy dessert if you have a crowd.  It can easily be doubled, then portioned in fancy dessert cups or left on a buffet to help yourself to (just wait until your guests leave before you start eating it out of the serving dish, ok?).  Measurements need not be precise, kind of like the way you pour your bourbon 😉

The Recipe  (Serves 6-8)

Ingredients for the bread pudding:

½ loaf of French bread, torn or sliced into large cubes (bread is best if a few days old)

1 cup of heavy cream (whipping cream)

1 cup of milk

4 eggs

½ tsp cinnamon

¼  cup of chopped raisins

1 tbsp of vanilla OR 2 tbsp of bourbon + 2 oz

**Bourbon Sauce below

Method:

bread pudding cubes.jpg
  1. Butter an 8” square baking dish.

  2. In a small bowl, pour the 2 tbsp of bourbon over the raisins (soak for at least 15 minutes)

  3. Place the cubed bread into the buttered dish (it will look overfilled – all good) and drop the raisins over the bread so they are evenly distributed.

  4. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs.  Add the cream, milk, sugar and cinnamon and mix well.

  5. Pour over the bread, gently pressing the bread down so that it can absorb the cream mixture.

  6. Let it sit for at least 30 min or longer.

  7. This is a good time to pour that 2 oz of bourbon and relax.

  8. Ok, break is over.  Bake at 350 for about 50-55 min

**Bourbon Sauce Ingredients and Method:  

bread pudding ingredients.jpg

1 cup of heavy cream (whipping cream), ½ cup of sugar, 2 tbsp of bourbon, pinch of cinnamon.  This makes a very boozy sauce. Cut the bourbon back to 1 tbsp if you prefer just a hint of bourbon.  

Over medium heat, in a small, heavy saucepan, stir together the cream and sugar, allowing the sugar to dissolve and bringing it to a gentle boil.  The mixture will start to thicken, coating the back of a spoon (takes up to 7 or 8 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the bourbon and cinnamon.  Return to the heat for one minute, stirring.  Keep warm.

Spoon the bread pudding into small dessert bowls, martini glasses or even a small mason jar.  It’s just pretty to look at all the textures and the sauce coating the bread pudding. Spoon the warm bourbon sauce over the bread pudding and serve.  This makes 6-8 servings.

As mentioned, the recipe is easily doubled in a 9x13, just extend the baking time by at least 10-15 min.   

There are many things you can do with this recipe to change it up according to your preference.  Add chopped nuts. Omit the raisins if you dislike them as much as I do. Or add more raisins if you like, just don’t invite me over.  Use more cinnamon and some nutmeg. You could use egg bread or even cinnamon raisin bread. Again with the raisins! The point is, use your imagination.  The next time I make this, I am going to experiment by adding chocolate chunks. I made this and served it to my 83 year old mother who surprised me when she said she had never had bread pudding before.  I thought for sure it was something her mother would have made. She loved it and that’s high praise! Hope you like it too!

Cheers!!

Maureen Linehan

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