If you have a loaf of raisin bread, this Raisin Bread Pudding puts it to good use. The result is lightly sweet and cinnamon spiced, with a soft center and crispy top.
There is bread pudding made with raisins, and then there is a true Raisin Bread Pudding like this one-bread pudding made with a whole loaf of raisin bread.
I found the idea to use raisin bread for bread pudding in an ’80s church cookbook, and pieced it together with another classic recipe to come up with this gem of a dessert.
It’s tender on the inside, crispy on top, and has that warm and comforting cinnamon raisin bread flavor throughout. It’s just lightly sweet, but a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream will take it straight into dessert territory.
My #1 Tip for Bread Pudding
The key to the best bread pudding is…stale bread. Fresh bread will cause the bread pudding to get soggy and mushy. A loaf of store-bought raisin bread takes some time to get stale, but there’s a way around that.
The simple fix is to toast the bread. Instead of giving your toaster a workout, just cube the bread and toast it in the oven. It’ll take 10 minutes and will drastically improve the texture of your bread pudding.
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What You’ll Need
- You’ll need a whole loaf of raisin bread (1 lb) to make a 13×9-inch dish. If you only have part of a loaf, this recipe can easily be halved and baked in an 8×8-inch dish. You could also use part raisin bread, part white bread.
- The sugar can be adjusted, depending on if you want a less-sweet or a more-sweet bread pudding. Anywhere from ¼ cup to ½ cup work great.
- Regular milk or non-dairy milk both work well for this recipe.
How to Make Raisin Bread Pudding
- Cut the raisin bread into 1-inch cubes. Place on a sheet pan and toast in a 300°F oven for 10-15 minutes, or until dried on the outside and lightly toasted.
- Whisk together the milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla.
- Place the bread cubes in a greased 13×9-inch dish, and top with the egg mixture.
- Bake at 300°F for 1 hour.
Serving Ideas
Nearly every church cookbook recipe for bread pudding says to top it with ice cream. I can confirm that is an excellent idea!
First, I like to sprinkle a little powdered sugar over the top, and then top with either ice cream or fresh whipped cream. The contrast of the warm bread pudding with the ice cream/chilled whipped cream is heavenly!
📖 Recipe
Raisin Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 16 ounces raisin bread
- 2 cups milk
- ½ cup melted butter
- 5 eggs
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Powdered sugar for dusting on top
- To serve: vanilla ice cream or whipped cream
Instructions
- If the raisin bread is starting to get hard/stale, skip the first step.
- If the raisin bread is still soft, preheat the oven to 300°F and cut 16 ounces raisin bread into 1-inch pieces. Place the pieces on a large baking sheet (or two). Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
- Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Whisk together 2 cups milk, ½ cup melted butter, 5 eggs, ¼ cup sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- Place the toasted bread pieces into prepared baking dish. Pour the milk mixture over the top. Gently press the bread cubes so they are all covered with the milk mixture.
- Bake at 325°F for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Dust with powdered sugar. Serve topped with ice cream or whipped cream.
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