Make Caramel Bread Pudding at Home
Written by Pashupati saha | December 2, 2024
Caramel bread pudding is the kind of dessert that feels like slipping into an old, worn-out armchair at your grandparentsÕ houseÑyou know, the one that creaks a little but hugs you just right. ItÕs comfort food that doesnÕt pretend to be anything fancier than it is. Soft, sweet bread soaked in a luscious custard, all sitting under a layer of sticky, golden caramel. ItÕs the treat that feels like itÕs been waiting for you at the end of a long day.
Ingredients: You donÕt need anything fancy. Just a few humble ingredients from the kitchen, and youÕre good to go:
- 6 slices of slightly stale bread
- 500 ml full-fat milk
- 4 large eggs
- 150 gm sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Two pinches of cinnamon
- A pinch of salt
For the Caramel Sauce:
- 100 gm sugar
- 50 ml water
Process:
In a small pan, add the sugar and water, then let it sit over medium heat for a couple of minutes. DonÕt stir. Please be patient, don't turn up the flame in a hurry or it will burn. Soon the sugar will melt, bubble, and start to turn into that rich, deep amber that makes caramel so irresistible. As soon as it hits that perfect color (not too dark, not too lightÑthink autumn leaves), take it off the heat and pour it into the base of your baking dish. Swirl it along the surface of the pan. And donÕt worry when it hardensÑitÕll melt back into a syrupy dream once it bakes.
Now for the pudding itself:
Take your bread slices and tear them up like youÕre too lazy to use a knife. Big chunks, little chunks, all work! Toss them into a bowl. YouÕre not aiming for perfection, just texture. Actually,the more irregular, the better the pudding.
In a separate saucepan, gently heat the milk until itÕs warm, not boiling. Meanwhile, in another bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and that crucial pinch of salt. Once the milk is sufficiently hot, slowly pour it into the egg mixture. Keep whisking throughout.
Pour this custard-like mixture over the bread and let it soak for about 10 minutes to the least. You will notice the bread puff up and get all spongy.
Assembly time:
Pour the soaked bread into the caramel-coated dish, spreading it out so every bite gets a bit of caramel. The bread should sit there like it owns the place.
Baking:
Preheat your oven to 180¡C. Keep your pudding dish inside a larger tray, and pour hot water into the tray until it reaches halfway up the sides of your pudding dish. This water bath is important because it helps the pudding bake evenly, so itÕs soft and custardy all the way through.
Slide it into the oven and let it bake at 180¡C for about 45-50 minutes. YouÕll know itÕs done when the top is golden and a little puffed, but the center still has a bit of wobble. If itÕs too firm, youÕve gone too far. If itÕs too wobbly, give it a few more minutes.
The big reveal:
Once your pudding has cooled slightlyÑ because nobody wants to burn their mouth on molten caramelÑ run a knife around the edges and flip it onto a serving plate. The caramel will melt, the bread will look like itÕs been kissed by a sugar fairy, and youÕll feel like a magician who just pulled off the ultimate dessert trick.
Serve it up, however you like:
Eat it warm, straight from the oven, with a big spoon and no regrets. Or, if you have the patience of a saint, chill it in the fridge for a few hours and let it firm up into a creamy custard. Either way, itÕs a win.
Feeling extra? Top it with a scoop of ice cream, maybe vanilla, maybe something wild like salted caramel. Or go rogue and drizzle some extra caramel sauce over the top, because thereÕs no such thing as too much caramel.
Pro Tips for the Brave:
- If your breadÕs too fresh, throw it in the oven for a few minutes to dry it out. Dry bread soaks up more custard.
- To spice things up, add a splash of rum to the custard. ItÕll give your bread pudding a boozy kick thatÕll have everyone asking for the recipe.
- Feeling a little tropical? Toss in some toasted coconut flakes or a handful of raisins.