A note from my kitchen: this recipe captures that cozy feeling of your favorite aunt’s recipe, but with brioche for extra richness and a custard that’s not too sweet. This will take about an hour from start to finish, and your house will smell like cinnamon and vanilla while it bakes.
Let’s talk about what makes THIS recipe the one you want. Brioche soaks up custard like a dream without turning to mush, pre-soaked raisins stay plump and juicy, and that foil-on, foil-off baking method gets you the perfect crispy top with a creamy center. Lovely.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need
This is a great thing to make when you have more bread than you can eat and lots of eggs.
- 1 loaf brioche bread (about 12 cups, cubed) day-old works great, or leave fresh cubes out for an hour to dry slightly
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup raisins, soak these in warm water or rum for 10 minutes first, then drain (this keeps them plump instead of turning into little rocks)
Want to make more or less? To double, use two 9×13 pans and keep the same baking time; to halve, use an 8×8 pan and reduce baking time by 10 minutes.
How to Make
Cut the Bread Cut brioche into 1-inch cubes – doesn’t have to be perfect, just roughly the same size so they cook evenly. Spread them in your buttered 9×13 pan. If your brioche is super fresh and soft, leave the cubes out on the counter while you make the custard. They’ll dry out just enough to soak up more liquid without falling apart.
Make the Custard Whisk together milk, cream, eggs, both sugars, melted butter, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until smooth. No lumps of brown sugar floating around. The mixture will look thin and that’s okay. It’s going going to soak in.
Prep the Raisins Soaking raisins is NOT optional if you want them plump. Ten minutes in warm water is fine, or rum if you’re feeling fancy. Drain them really well and scatter them over your bread cubes. They’ll sink a bit when you add the custard and that’s perfect.
Pour and Soak Pour custard over everything, making sure you hit every corner. Press the bread down gently with your spatula – all those cubes on top need to get wet or they’ll just dry out in the oven.
Let this sit for 10-15 minutes. The bread needs time to soak up the custard or you’ll get dry spots.
Two-Step Baking Cover with foil (loosely, not tight) and bake for 30 minutes. This steams it first so the inside gets custardy. Pull off the foil and go another 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown. You’ll know it’s done when a knife in the center comes out clean, not liquidy.
Let It Set Give it 10 minutes before serving so it sets up properly. If you cut too soon, it won’t hold together.
Storage Instructions
Keep leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 30-60 seconds until warm through. You can also pop the whole pan back in a 300°F oven for about 15 minutes if you’re serving a crowd again.
Make It Your Own
This is a super flexible base recipe that you can adapt endlessly.
- Mix-ins: Swap raisins for dried cranberries or chopped dried apricots. Chopped pecans or walnuts add great texture, add about ½ cup mixed in with the bread.
- Different bread: Challah works beautifully here, or anything sturdy and rich.
- Make it ahead: Assemble everything the night before, cover and refrigerate. Bake it fresh the next morning, just add 5-10 extra minutes to the baking time since it’s cold.
- Chocolate version: Skip the raisins and add ¾ cup chocolate chips. It’s not my personal favorite but kids love it. Or use extra homemade chocolate brioche rolls.
- Apple cinnamon: Add 1 cup diced apples (tossed with a little cinnamon) instead of raisins.
Troubleshooting
Your melted butter was too hot and scrambled the eggs; let it cool for a minute before whisking it in.
Yep, use a muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes total (no foil needed). But honestly there’s something about it the big dish that I like better.
Use about ¼ cup rum with ¼ cup warm water, you need just enough to cover them.
Printable Recipe
Brioche Bread Pudding
Equipment
- 1 9×13-inch baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 loaf brioche bread about 12 cups cubed
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup raisins soaked and drained
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Instructions
- Prep. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter.
- Dice brioche. Cut brioche into 1-inch cubes and spread evenly in prepared dish.
- Make cream base. Whisk together milk, cream, eggs, both sugars, melted butter, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until smooth.
- Soak raisins. Soak raisins in warm water for 10 minutes, drain well, and sprinkle over bread cubes.
- Assemble and rest. Pour custard mixture over bread. Press bread down gently to ensure all pieces are soaked. Let sit 10-15 minutes.
- Bake covered. Cover loosely with foil and bake 30 minutes.
- Baked uncovered. Remove foil and bake another 20-25 minutes until golden brown and center is set.
- Cool and serve. Cool 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Love,
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