Whenever my husband and I go out to dinner, if there is bread pudding on the dessert menu, we have to try it.

Bread pudding is one dish I simply can’t pass up. There are endless possibilities, so I am always looking for interesting combinations of flavors. You can combine caramel and apple, blueberry and white chocolate, pecan pie, or cinnamon raisin, just to mention a few of my favorite!

Most bread puddings include pretty basic ingredients, like eggs, whole milk, vanilla and heavy cream which are reminiscent of “grandma’s cooking”.

This recipe stood out to me because of one ingredient: bourbon. It is so unique and the moment I saw it I knew I had to make it. I really enjoy recipes that have this elegant liquor, because it has such a deep, bold flavor. I may have “accidentally” used a just a little more bourbon than the recipe called for. It’s the holiday season, so why not?

I used plenty of vanilla in mine, but feel free to cut down the amount depending on your palette. I also used challah bread because I really believe it is the best choice. It is thick, moist and absorbs rich liquid and sauce beautifully. 

This is definitely not your grandmother’s bread pudding, and it exceeded all of my expectations. There is a lovely, savory goodness in the pudding, which is so gratifying. The addition of both vanilla and almond extract makes this extra-special. The flavor from the bourbon hits this pudding out of the park.

This recipe courtesy of Southern Cooking and will serve about 10 people who will fall in love at first bite.

Ingredients for Bourbon Bread Pudding:

For the pudding:

1 8-ounce baguette (or egg-rich bread, like challah, which I used), preferably stale
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
4 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon bourbon
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon pure almond extract

For the bourbon sauce:

1/4 cup of butter, cut up
1/2 cup sugar
1 lightly beaten egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
2 to 4 tablespoons bourbon

To make the bread pudding:

Have a nonreactive 9 x 5-inch loaf dish (I used an 8 x 8 square baking dish) or pan on hand (Pyrex is perfect here), as well as a roasting pan big enough to hold the baking dish (I used a large aluminum roasting pan).

Bring a teakettle or pot of water (about 2 quarts) to a boil; when the water boils, turn off the heat.

Cut bread into 1-inch cubes. If your bread is not stale, spread cubes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a 350F oven for 10 minutes.

Place bread in baking pan.

In a small saucepan bring the milk and cream just to a boil. (Watch this carefully! It boils over very easily.)

Turn off heat.

In a small bowl whisk together the eggs, yolks, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in about one-fourth of the hot milk mixture. 

Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remaining milk.

Add the bourbon and vanilla and almond extracts; whisk gently to blend.

Tap the bowl against the countertop to pop any bubbles that might have been formed, then the custard all over the bread and press gently with the back of a spoon to help cover it with custard.

Cover the dish lightly with waxed paper; leave it on the counter, pressing the bread into the custard now and then, for 1 hour.

Center a rack in the oven; preheat to 350F.

Discard the waxed paper and cover the pan snugly with a piece of aluminum foil.

Place loaf dish in the roasting pan.

Slide the pan into the oven and carefully pour enough of the hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the loaf dish.

Bake the pudding for 30 minutes, then remove the foil.

Bake the pudding about 15 minutes more (it took 25 minutes for me), or until puffed and golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Transfer roasting pan to a rack; cool the pudding until just warm or at room temperature.

To make the bourbon sauce:

In a small saucepan, melt butter.

Stir in sugar, egg yolk, and water.

Cook over medium heat just until bubbles forms around the edge, about 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in 2 to 4 tablespoons bourbon.

Pour bourbon sauce over bread pudding, making sure to get into every nook and cranny.

Beautiful!

It’s that simple!