This Bread and Butter Pudding is the ultimate cozy dessert featuring slices of stale bread drenched in a rich custard made with browned butter, heavy cream, and a splash of brandy. Raisins are plumped in the brandy for extra flavor, then baked until golden and set with a slow wobble in the middle and a sweet, crunchy sugar topping
My love of cooking and food comes from my mother. I have fond memories of cooking and baking in the kitchen with my mom. One of the things my mom made all the time was bread and butter pudding. It feels like yesterday we were at the white kitchen countertops spreading leftover sliced bread with butter, making the custard filling, spreading raisins on and my mom's secret was always sprinkling a generous amount of sugar on top, it gave it that little extra something. We do the same thing with banana bread!
Now 20 years later we've learned a few things and experimented a bit. Which is how we came to this version of B&B pudding. We use brown butter for a deeply caramelized, nutty undertone and soak the raisins in brandy to plump them up and give it a little something special. Since we are just pouring on the butter not buttering individual slices this recipe might be even easier!
Another family favorite British dessert is sticky toffee pudding!!
Bread, Butter, and Boozy Raisins-Meet Your Team
For this British dessert staple you will need:
- Raisins & Brandy Soaking raisins in brandy plumps them up and imparts subtle warmth to the custard.
- Stale White Bread (preferably Brioche) Staling the bread ensures it absorbs just the right amount of custard without turning soggy.
- Salted Butter (browned) Browning it brings a nutty, caramel note that elevates the entire pudding.
- Whole Milk & Heavy Cream Together, they create a rich custard base that's luxuriously creamy.
- Granulated Sugar & Demerara Sugar Regular sugar sweetens the custard, while Demerara on top forms a crispy, caramel-like crust.
- Pure Vanilla Extract & Ground Nutmeg Add warm subtle spice-nutmeg for that classic British flavor, vanilla for smoothness.
- Large Eggs Thicken the custard, yielding that irresistible, slightly wobbly texture.
For the baking dish, I use an 8.5" X 11" X 2" 2 QT glass dish but you can use any style of a baking dish that holds the same amount or double the recipe for a larger dish. Use a pie dish, baking pan, glass pan, cake pan, casserole dish anything that is oven proof!
Check out my apple bread pudding recipe next!
Bread Gets Cozy with Brown Butter & Brandy
Check out this post on how to brown butter with step-by-step photos and instructions.
You'll have a beautiful golden, crunchy exterior and soft custard interior.
Perfect Pairings for Bread & Butter Pudding
I grew up with a generous serving of Bird's custard on top of my mom's bread and butter pudding, and truly custard is my favorite way to go.
You can also serve the pudding with a generous scoop of ice cream or heavy cream.
★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!
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Bread and Butter Pudding
This Bread and Butter Pudding is the ultimate cozy dessert featuring slices of stale bread drenched in a rich custard made with browned butter, heavy cream, and a splash of brandy. Raisins are plumped in the brandy for extra flavor, then baked until golden and set with a slow wobble in the middle and a sweet, crunchy sugar topping.
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 Servings 1x
Ingredients
- 80 Grams (½ Cup) Raisins
- 2oz (¼ Cup) Brandy
- 17.6oz Loaf of Stale White Bread, I prefer Brioche but Regular or French Bread work well
- 8oz (1 Cup) Salted Butter
- 12oz (1 ½ Cup) Whole Milk
- 12oz (1 ½ Cup) Heavy Cream
- 200 Grams (1 Cup) Granulated Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 ½ Teaspoons Ground Nutmeg
- 4 Large Eggs
- 2 Tablespoons Demerera Sugar
Instructions
- In a small bowl add raisins and brandy and set aside,
- In a large pot over medium-low heat brown the butter, stirring frequently until it is golden brown and has a nutty aroma. Make sure you watch the butter carefully as the butter can burn easily, check out his post on how to brown butter.
- Arrange the bread slices into a 2 QT size dish, I use an 11" X 8.5" X 2" glass dish. You may need to cut the bread to fit evenly into the pan. Evenly pour the brown butter all over the bread slices and make sure to scrape out all the brown pieces, those are flavor bombs!
- In a large saucepan whisk heavy cream, milk, vanilla, eggs, nutmeg, and sugar until fully combined, you do not want any trace of egg left behind. Place over medium heat and cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes until the mixture has warmed through.
- Pour the raisins and brandy into the warmed custard mixture and mix to combine.
- Pour the cream mixture evenly over the bread slices, the raisins will be sunk to the bottom of the pot so I use my hand to gently scatter them around the bread and in the slices, you don't want too many on top as they can burn while baking. Cover the bread and butter pudding with a wet paper towel and let marinate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C and sprinkle the demerara sugar on top of the pudding, when the oven is heated place pudding into the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown, the internal temperature should be a minimum of 170F/77C, the inside of the pudding should be set but still have a slow wobble. Let cool for 10 minutes then serve. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. Delicious served warm or cold, with custard or ice cream.
- Prep Time: 45
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: British
Traci Bynum says
Amazing!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thanks so much Traci! So pleased you enjoyed it, one of our family faves!! XX Liz
John Peterson says
Is there anything I can use instead of Brandy to soak the raisins? I don’t drink alcohol or cook with it.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi John, you could try using orange juice or even water. Please let me know if you have any other questions or if you try the recipe! XX Liz
Fiona says
Lovely recipe! Thank you. First sugary thing in a while, so was a bit sweet. but ever so delicious. I used kombucha to soak dates instead of brandy and sultanas. And cashew milk/coconut oil/water for the milk and cream. When using dairy free milks, you can pop 1TB potato starch in to set custards/quiches etc.
Made a mistake, my bread was ex-freezer and I worried it would not soak up the liquid, so the bread was in large crouton size. This was a mistake, as there wasn't enough space around the bread for lots of custard to form. Next time I will use larger pieces of bread. (Was homemade buckwheat sourdough bread). You can use a pinch of baking soda in the custard mix to offset a strong sourdough flavour.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Fiona, thank you so much for this lovely review!! So glad you had success altering the recipe so much, sounds like a delicious version ! Take care. XX Liz
Shorebird says
Oh my goodness! 16 at the table including 3 Brits. I’ve never had bread pudding & certainly never made it before. This recipe was a hit with everyone! Crusty top, fluffy center, & the perfect delicate amount of sweetness. Served warm with ice cream…phenomenal!
The prep took longer than the directions predicted, but it’s all very easy. I bought a sliced loaf of Brioche. Used a ceramic baking dish that fit two rows of 9 slices perfectly. It was beautiful and really delicious! I couldn’t find the Demerara sugar, so I sprinkled a bit of cinnamon sugar on top.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thank you so much for the lovely review!! So glad you all enjoyed one of my favorite desserts ever!! XX Liz