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Southern Bread Pudding Recipe with Easy Homemade Vanilla Sauce

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A classic Southern comfort dessert featuring soft, custardy bread pudding with a rich homemade vanilla sauce. Perfect for using leftover bread and serving at family gatherings or holidays.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 8 cups day-old French bread, cubed (about 200g)
  • 2 cups whole milk (480ml)
  • 1 cup heavy cream (240ml)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted (28g)
  • For the Vanilla Sauce:
  • 1 cup whole milk (240ml)
  • ½ cup heavy cream (120ml)
  • ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
  • 1 vanilla bean split or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon butter (14g)

Instructions

  1. Prep the Bread Cubes (10 minutes): Cube day-old French bread into roughly 1-inch pieces. Spread on a baking sheet and air dry if not stale enough. Toss cubes with melted butter.
  2. Mix the Custard (5 minutes): In a large bowl, whisk together whole milk, heavy cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt until smooth and sugar dissolves.
  3. Soak the Bread (15 minutes): Add buttered bread cubes to custard and fold gently to coat. Let soak for 15 minutes, stirring gently a couple of times.
  4. Bake the Pudding (50–60 minutes): Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Transfer soaked bread mixture to greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Bake uncovered until golden brown and custard is set but springy in center.
  5. Make the Vanilla Sauce (while pudding bakes): In saucepan, combine milk, heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla bean or extract. Heat gently until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot but not boiling. Whisk egg yolks separately. Temper yolks by slowly adding hot milk mixture while whisking. Return mixture to saucepan and cook on low, stirring constantly until thickened (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat, discard vanilla pod if used, and whisk in butter.
  6. Serve and Enjoy: Let bread pudding cool at least 10 minutes. Spoon warm vanilla sauce generously over each slice.

Notes

[‘Use day-old bread for best texture to avoid sogginess.’, ‘Melt butter over bread cubes before baking to create a golden crust.’, ‘Temper egg yolks slowly with hot milk to prevent scrambling in vanilla sauce.’, ‘Simmer vanilla sauce gently on low heat and stir constantly to avoid curdling.’, ‘Salt the custard to balance sweetness and enhance flavors.’, ‘If pudding is too wet after baking, bake longer until center is set but springy.’, “Vanilla sauce can be strained for smoothest texture but it’s optional.”]

Nutrition

Keywords: Southern bread pudding, vanilla sauce, comfort dessert, leftover bread recipe, classic dessert, homemade vanilla sauce

Find it online: https://fuzzyforker.com/southern-bread-pudding-recipe-easy-homemade-vanilla-sauce-for-classic-comfort-dessert/