Grandma’s Bread Pudding
This bread pudding recipe is easy to make with just a few simple ingredients. This is one of our family’s favorite recipes and is perfect served with a big scoop of ice cream!
Do you have any family recipes that you absolutely love? This bread pudding recipe is one that has been in my husband’s family for years and comes from his Grandmother Linda. My husband loves this recipe so much that his grandma used to bake it for him instead of a cake for special occasions. And honestly, I would choose this recipe over a cake any day too.
Speaking of Josh’s grandma, I really feel like I could write a million blog posts about how wonderful she was. She was such a kind person and had the best sense of humor. It was literally impossible to not crack a smile when you were around her.
My favorite memory of her was the time she got up on the dance floor at our wedding and danced like no one was watching. Although she’s no longer with us, one thing that we will always have are the memories and her amazing bread pudding recipe.
Plus, you know a recipe is good when it comes from grandma. Right?
Recipe Ingredients
This recipe uses simple ingredients that you may already have on hand! Here’s what you will need to make this easy bread pudding recipe:
- Day-old bread: To start this recipe you’ll need some bread, hence the name bread pudding. I like to use a loaf of challah bread when it comes to making this recipe. Josh’s grandma used slices of toasted white bread when she would make it. Some other great options are French or brioche bread. You also want to use day-old or stale bread so that it absorbs the moisture from the egg and milk mixture.
- Eggs: You will be using 5 large eggs for this bread pudding recipe.
- Milk: I prefer to use whole milk in this recipe, but Josh’s grandmother typically used skim milk. Feel free to use whatever you have on hand!
- Sugar: There’s 1 cup of granulated sugar in this dish to add some sweetness.
- Vanilla & spices: These add a little flavor to the bread pudding. For the spices there is a mixture of ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg.
How To Make Bread Pudding
To make this bread pudding, start by spraying a 9×13 baking pan well with nonstick cooking spray. Next, cube your day old-bread into 1-inch pieces and place them in an even layer into the prepared baking dish.
Then, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and spices. You will be using 5 whole eggs and 4 cups of milk, which may seem like a lot. Trust me, the first time I made this recipe I sat there wondering if it was too much. As the bread bakes it will absorb the liquid, so don’t worry!
Once you mix up the wet ingredients, pour it over the bread in your pan. Make sure that the mixture fully coats the bread, if you miss some pieces, just press them down into the mixture to make sure they are coated.
You want to let it sit for about 15 minutes, so the bread can absorb some of the liquid before it goes into the oven too. I like to prepare the bread pudding, then once I’m done I preheat the oven. I just let it sit and soak up the mixture while the oven preheats, which is usually right at about 15 minutes. Easy, peasy.
The bread pudding will take about 45 to 50 minutes in the oven. You will know it’s done when the center is puffed up and firm if you gently touch it.
You do want to let it cool for just a little bit once you remove it from the oven so that it’s easy to handle. I really love this bread pudding served with a huge scoop of ice cream and some caramel sauce. But honestly, it’s delicious just by itself!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you freeze bread pudding?
Yes, absolutely! You can slice the bread pudding into pieces, wrap each one tightly, and store them in a large freezer bag or freezer-friendly storage container. To thaw it, simply place it in the refrigerator overnight.
Does it need be refrigerated?
Yes, you do want to refrigerate it. Once it has cooled completely, wrap it tightly, and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
How do you reheat it?
If you want to reheat the whole bread pudding, cover it tightly with aluminum foil, and place it in a 300°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until warmed. For individual slices, I prefer to microwave them in 20 to 30 second increments until they’re warmed through.
Baking Tips
- If your bread is still fresh or not dried out you can cube it into smaller pieces, place them on a baking sheet, pop it in the oven, and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes. You don’t want to completely toast the bread, just dry it out.
- I prefer to lightly beat the eggs before mixing them into the wet ingredients. This isn’t necessary, but does help to ensure that the eggs are thoroughly combined.
- Let the bread pudding soak for about 15 minutes while your oven is preheating. This will ensure that the bread really soaks up the egg custard mixture!
Video Tutorial
![A slice of bread pudding with a scoop of ice cream on top on a white speckled plate.](https://i0.wp.com/www.livewellbakeoften.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bread-Pudding-10s-new.jpg?fit=200%2C200&ssl=1)
Grandma's Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 loaf day-old challah bread cubed into 1-inch pieces
- 5 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 4 cups (960 ml) whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place the cubed challah bread into the prepared baking dish and spread it around into an even layer. Set aside.
- In a very large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, milk, vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon until fully combined. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread in the prepared baking pan, making sure all of the bread is coated. Allow to sit and soak up the mixture for about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Once the 15 minutes is over, place the bread pudding in the oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the top is set.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.
Notes
Grandmas make the BEST food! I miss my Grandma every day and I loved all of her cooking and recipes that she just made from memory or from old recipe cards. This bread pudding looks fantastic, Danielle! It’s been so long since I’ve had this dish…I would love a slice or two of this for breakfast. Sounds SO good! What a great recipe to remember your husband’s Grandma by!
Thank you, Gayle! I would happily share some with you! 🙂
Am I assuming just one (1) layer of bread by the words “spread it around into “an” even layer? Or are you supposed to fill the entire dish with bread?
Hi, John! I just mean to place the cubed bread in the dish and spread it around evenly.
Do you put the entire loaf of bread in
You use the whole loaf, but you need to cube it into pieces first.
Do you use any kind of syrup on it. Like caramel or anything. The lady I am making this for is 93 years old and only has two weeks to live and and I asked her if there was anything I could do and she said I would like some bread pudding so I am using your precipe for her. Thank you and God bless you
Hi, Jamie! That’s so sweet of you to make this bread pudding for your friend. I think this bread pudding is delicious just served plain or with a little ice cream. But you could also add some caramel sauce on top, here’s my recipe for caramel sauce: http://www.livewellbakeoften.com/homemade-salted-caramel-sauce/. I hope that helps and hope you both enjoy the bread pudding 🙂
Looks yummy! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Thank you, Belinda! Hope you enjoy the bread pudding 🙂
Thank you for your grandma’s recipe. It came in handy.
I am cooking it ake to Church tomorrow.
Thanks again!
Patricia H
I hope everyone enjoys the bread pudding, Patricia!
I saw another bread pudding that called for melted butter over the top while still hot. I think that would make it entirely too rich.
My grandma passed away in January she was 96, she also made us bread pudding. Almost exact recipe although I don’t believe I every seen it written anywhere. She did not care for nutmeg so ours was always made with just the cinnamon, I wish all could have those wonderful memories of having such a warm loving person in their lives…. there is nothing like memories of cooking with grandma in her kitchen, thank you for bringing them back.
I agree, Jennie. I’m so glad the bread pudding brought back those wonderful memories for you! 🙂
I like to use crasins instead of raisins
Craisins are a wonderful idea too!
Hi, Would you do anything to the raisins/craisins before mixing in the mixture?
Percyt
I would just add them to the mixture. If you want them a little more plump, you can soak them in some warm water for a few minutes.
Do you have to use that kind of bread? My husband mentioned bread pudding yesterday. I never had it. I was going to try making it. I only have rolls in the house. Did you ever try anything else?
You can use another kind of bread to make this recipe. I know his grandma used to use 12 slices of regular bread when she would make it. You can probably use rolls too, but I haven’t tried them before so I’m unsure of about how much you’ll need.
With bread pudding u can use any kind of bread
I’ve made bread pudding a few times and it always turned out good. I typically use French or Cuban bread and I always toast them beforehand. I’ve used rolls, sliced bread, I’ve even used hotdog buns and hamburger buns together since they were getting old lol
Thanks for sharing, Andrea!
Oh my dear. Love this recipe. I’m a avid Baker and I love to play around with the recipe. So for this one I changed up a few things. I used one loaf of “Marketside Bake at Home: Pumpkin Raisin Bread. I followed the recipe to the tea… Lol but instead of the nutmeg I added allspice (1/2) two and sprinkled a few roasted flaxseeds in the mix. HUNTIE CHILD… once it was out the oven I drizzled my famous Cream Cheese icing(jus a Lil cream cheese, vanilla flavoring and powered sugar and of course butter). Let’s jus say my big baby was sleep after a rough football practice but soon as this Sat on the counter he flew in the kitchen. It was packed with flavor and Jus delis. Thanks for sharing.. I’ll make sure to post your recipe along wit my swaps on my recipe card.
Pumpkin raisin bread and cream cheese icing sound so wonderful, Pamela. I’ve been wanting to try a pumpkin version of this too, so I love your swaps! So glad you enjoyed the bread pudding too! 🙂
My momma added raisins. Good memories with bread pudding. Going to try this bread pudding.
I know his grandma used to add raisins to her sometimes too, they work really well in this recipe! Hope you enjoy the bread pudding if you give it a try, Jackie 🙂
I used crasins
Here are the changes I made to the recipe. I added one cup of white raisins to the mixture using a very large bowl. Then I added the cut up challah bread, baked it for one hour at 350 and it came out great. Mixing the bread with the liquid before putting it in the pan gave me a more evenly, easy to cut bread pudding. Just a suggestion
Raisins are always wonderful in this bread pudding too, Laura. So glad to hear that you liked it! 🙂
I like this it is almost like mine.I add chopped nuts and raisins.Good and yummy
One of my favorite comfort foods, and I am a big fan of nutmeg so this recipe makes me very happy!
It’s a favorite of mine too, Kathy! Hope you enjoy the bread pudding if you give it a try 🙂
How many cups of bread do you think you used? I am trying to make it work a left over bits of bread!
I think the loaf of challah bread I use comes out to about 9 cups of bread. Hope that helps! 🙂
perfect thanks!
I made it and it was delicious! Question though, does it need to be refrigerated once cooked?
Yes, it does need to be refrigerated once it’s cooled. I usually just reheat it in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds, still tastes great!
I made it before but tried your recipe it was quicker and tastes great .Iadded raisins to mine they loved it thanks Danielle
So glad you enjoyed the bread pudding, Arlene!
I’m using a 2 lb loaf of Apple Fritter Bread..
Increase eggs by two of make a double batch of egg mixture and add as needed?
What you think?
I haven’t tried it with a 2lb loaf of bread yet. I would probably do 1.5x the other ingredients instead of doubling it (so make another half batch) and I *think* that should be enough of the egg mixture.
It would also be too much for a 9×13 pan so you’d probably need another 8×8 or 11×7 pan.
Added some chocolate chips and chopped pecans in mine….was so amazing !
Thank you Danielle darling 🙂
Chocolate and pecans sound wonderful! So glad you liked the bread pudding, Aaliyah!
My grandmaw aleays Added a can of peaches so yummy
Love that idea!
I made this recipe last night and it turned out phenomenal! I did a scoop of vanilla on top with some caramel and wow was it good?
I’m so glad you liked the bread pudding, Paula!
Do you have to use that much sugar? I’d love to try this!
I’ve only ever made it with 1 cup of sugar. You could probably reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup and it would be okay. It makes a 9×13 pan too, so it makes quite a bit 🙂
I absolutely LOVE this recipe…but my family doesnt like nutmeg so I make it using cinnamon only for the spice. It is beautiful and tastes like heaven! My Grammy made this for me as a child and I loved it. This tastes something very similar to hers, if my memory serves me correctly. Thank you, Danielle!!!
I’m so glad to hear that you loved the recipe, Ella! 🙂
Loved this recipe. I had to use brioche bread cause no one had the one the recipe calls for. I used brown sugar instead of white sugar. I also added some all spice. This was so delicious. My husband who don’t like bread pudding really enjoyed it. Thanks for posting
Brioche is a great substitute for the challah bread, I’ve used it before! I’m glad you and your husband enjoyed the bread pudding 🙂
I am trying you’re recipe as we speak will let you know how it turns out…
Hope you enjoyed the bread pudding, Ruth!
Have you ever added sliced apples? I’m interested in doing so but don’t want to tamper with perfection!
Hi, Donna! I have added chopped apple before and it turned out great!
I added 2 chopped apples, 2 sliced bananas, 1 cup raisins and no sugar. Also some chopped walnuts!! It was delicious!!
That sounds delicious, Lynn! I’m glad you liked the bread pudding!
I make this pudding regularly as it has always been a family favourite. Just to make it easier, I buy a loaf of unsliced cinnamon raisin bread and it is yummy. A little quicker as I am not a gourmet cook but this always goes well!
Cinnamon raisin bread would be perfect in this recipe! I’ll have to try that out, Gail 🙂
I haven’t used your recipe yet, though it sounds like the one my family has always used. We add guava paste chunks to it. We just push them down into the bread and milk mixture once everything is in the pan. Mmmmm…I’m making it for Thanksgiving 🙂
I’ve never tried guava paste before, I may have to keep an eye out for some 🙂
I like this recipe but I’m single, I don’t need this much …. is there a recipe for just two?
I don’t have a small batch recipe, but I imagine you could scale the recipe down some and bake it in ramekins. I’ve personally never tried it though.
Would a warm vanilla sauce work for topping instead of caramel? We went on a cruise and they served bread pudding with a warm vanilla sauce. It was wonderful. Do you have recipe for vanilla sauce?
Yes, absolutely! I don’t have a vanilla sauce recipe yet, but I do plan to work on one soon. I’ll be sure to add it to this post when I do 🙂
Melt a pint of vanilla ice cream. It makes the best vanilla sauce with very little fuss.
Hi , please tell me how many ml of milk should I use for the recepi
Because the cup can be of any size
1 cup = 240ml, so you’ll need 960ml of milk for this recipe.
Do you think almond milk could be substituted for the whole milk?
It would probably work fine for this recipe, it just may not be quite as rich as whole milk.
Hello! This sounds wonderful for xmas eve! Can I make ahead of time(day before and refrigerate)? If so how do Iyou suggest i warm it back up in the oven?
That would be fine! I usually reheat slices in the microwave. If you’re wanting to reheat the whole dish in the oven, you could cover it with foil and put it in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes or until it’s warm. Hope you enjoy the bread pudding!
I used coconut milk (3 cans) it was the rich kind with cream, and a can of seeetened condensed milk and 1/cup sugar, some chopped pineapple and golden raisins. It was better than pineapple upside drown cake! I’m sure it was fattening but So good!!
Love the idea of using coconut milk, Julie! I may need to give that a try! 🙂
I love this recipe!! Easy and open to additions.
I like to drizzle whole melted butter over the pudding before it goes in the oven and Finish with rum soaked raspberries and maple syrup>>>>
The raspberries and maple syrup sound great, Barry!