Grandma's Bread Pudding Recipe (2024)

This is delicious bread pudding Grandma use to make when I was a child using simple pantry ingredients we always had in the house.

Bread, milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, just to name a few ingredients went into this comfortubg dessert casserole dish.

She then made her special sauce with vanilla (or bourbon sauce for the adults) to pour over the top while still warm, our family favorite..

Grandma lived with us when I was a child and made this often since dad worked at a bakery back then and we always had so much leftover bread in the house, this was a staple dessert in our home.

Mom would make Italian french toast, bruschetta, and many times with the stale bread, she used it up for old-fashioned homemade bread crumbs.

Nothing went to waste in our Italian household, they were very creative when it saved time, money, and trips to the grocery store.

Dad even had a garden, and occasionally grandma even added apples or berries to the bread pudding when in season.

Easy to make and the most comforting way to serve a dessert when you feel nostalgic since this is a blast from the past 1960s recipe.

If you love bread pudding you may also like to try our Limoncellobread pudding that's also an incredibly delicious version!

Scroll down to get her yummy recipe and let us know how you like it.

Grandma's Bread Pudding Recipe (1)

Grandma's Bread Pudding Recipe (2)

Traditions and Memories

Grandma's Bread Pudding Recipe will always be the best no matter how much we remake her recipe, nothing compares to the love that went into her recipes.

One of the fondest memories growing up as a child is the smell of cinnamon and pure vanilla.

Grandma always took pride in cooking and enjoyed the smiles and thank you's from everyone.

Whenever I smell cinnamon baking I always think of bread pudding and the cozy warm feeling it brings to a home.

We usually had this on a cold day in Utica, New York area, the winters were really long and bread pudding always warmed us up.

I could eat that whole bowl of pudding topping which is the best part to me!

Grandma's Bread Pudding Recipe (3)

Ingredients You Will Need To Make Grandma's Bread Pudding


  • bread cut into small cubed pieces day old preferred and Italian bread
  • raisins soaked in bourbon or rum overnight and drained (you can use vanilla instead if you wish)
  • milk
  • butter
  • sugar
  • eggs
  • vanilla
  • cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • cooking spray ( grandma didn't have that luxury in the 60s, I do both butter and spray to ensure nothing sticks to the pan)
  • Pudding Sauce for the top
  • butter
  • heavy cream
  • brown sugar
  • white sugar
  • pure vanilla extract or bourbon

Grandma's Bread Pudding Recipe (4)

Tools You Will Need Grandma's Bread Pudding Recipe


  • Whisk
  • Bowl
  • Saucepan
  • Baking Pan
  • Cooking Spray
  • Measuring Cups
  • Measuring Spoons
  • If using fruits a potato peeler

Grandma's Old Fashioned Bread Pudding Recipe Pin for later

Grandma's Bread Pudding Recipe (5)

More Recipes We Love:

Grandma's Rice Pudding

Grandma's Vanilla Strawberry Cake

Grandma's Sponge Cake

Grandma's Anisette Cookies

Love Old Fashioned Desserts?

Grandma's grew up in the depression era, she passed away in 1976 at 94 years old, you can do the math.

Saving money, being frugal were a way of life and she learned early on how to save money and feed a large family with creative delicious heartwarming foods.

Historians on bread pudding recipes trace back as early as the 11th and 12th centuries, and again frugal cooks looked for ways to use stale, leftover bread instead of letting it go to waste as grandma did.

Sometime in the 13th century in England, bread pudding was known as “poor man's pudding,” as it was a popular dish with the lower-income struggling families like my grandmother's.

Hope you enjoy this vintage recipe as much as we do, let us know how you like it in the comments and enjoy!


Grandma's Bread Pudding Recipe (6)

Grandma's Bread Pudding Recipe

Yield: 8

Author: Claudia Lamascolo

prep time: 10 Mcook time: 1 hourtotal time: 1 H & 10 M

This is a vintage family recipe Grandma made with stale bread. It became the moved comforting loved dessert as a child and especially during the cooler months of winter in Upstate New York. Her bread pudding was always the bread using hard crusted Italian bread and simple to make. We all still carry this traditional recipe on by making it when the chill hits the air.

ingredients:

  • Here's her recipe:
  • 4 cups bread cut into small cubed pieces day old preferred and Italian bread
  • 1/2 cup raisins soaked in bourbon or rum overnight and drained (you can use vanilla instead if you wish)
  • 2 cups of milk
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 beaten eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • Optional: 1 cup sliced fruits of any kind like apples, bananas, berries
  • Pudding Sauce for the top
  • 1 /2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated white regular sugar
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract or bourbon

instructions:

How to cook Grandma's Bread Pudding Recipe

  1. Grease a deep casserole dish with cooking spray and butter and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add cubed bread.
  2. Melt the butter with milk in a small saucepan.
  3. Place all remaining ingredients into the milk then pour over bread cubes that have been placed into the greased casserole dish.
  4. Bake 50 to 60 minutes at 350-degree hot oven.
  5. In the meantime, place the pudding sauce ingredients into a small saucepan and cook until the mixture is boiling and thickens.
  6. Serve this dessert warm.
  7. Spoon the pudding sauce over the top of baked warm bread that has been added into individual serving bowls. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Calories
225

Fat (grams)
11

Sat. Fat (grams)
8

Carbs (grams)
21

Net carbs
11

Sugar (grams)
9

https://www.whatscookinitalianstylecuisine.com/2017/01/grandmas-bread-pudding-recipe.html

grandma's bread pudding, bread pudding, vintage bread pudding, bread pudding with bourbon sauce, old fashioned bread pudding recipe

dessert, baked breads, pudding, vintage recipes, bread recipes

Italian American

Created using The Recipes Generator

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Grandma's Bread Pudding Recipe (7)

Favorite Dessert Recipes We Love


Mom's Blueberry Muffins

Bing Cherry Loaf

Best Ever Mango Muffins

Grandma's Bread Pudding Recipe (8)

Grandma's Bread Pudding Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to tell when bread pudding is done? ›

Bake about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Another way to judge whether the pudding is fully baked, is to gently press down on the center of the pudding. If any custard comes up to the top, the pudding needs to be baked a little longer.

Why does my bread pudding taste like egg? ›

Bread pudding's magic is how the old, dried bread can be re-invigorated with a mixture of milk, eggs, and sugar that it soaks up like a sponge, but when the eggs aren't properly beaten you have a separation of the beaten yolk from the beaten whites which gives you the scrambled egg look and flavor.

Are you supposed to eat bread pudding hot or cold? ›

Bread pudding can be served warm, room temperature, cold. If you'd rather have it warm or room temperature, skip the 6 hour refrigeration time. The orange custard sauce can also be served warm over warm bread pudding.

How long will bread pudding last in the refrigerator? ›

How to Store Bread Pudding. Allow the bread pudding to cool completely after baking. Cover tightly or transfer to a shallow, airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Why is my bread pudding soggy in the middle? ›

Only Cover The Bread Pudding In Oven For Some Of The Time

If you take it out too soon, you'll be left with a mushy and wet middle that hasn't been given the time it needs in the oven to set, but with a super crispy top -- not ideal, to say the least.

Should you cover bread pudding when baking? ›

Before the inside of your pudding is set, the outer layer can become burnt and dry, which is why covering bread pudding during baking is the best move.

Can you eat bread pudding that was left out overnight? ›

The USDA says food that has been left out of the fridge for more than two hours should be thrown away. At room temperature, bacteria grows incredibly fast and can make you sick.

Why does my pudding taste grainy? ›

Once the pudding cooled and the fat solidified, any bits that hadn't been thoroughly broken down came across as grainy on the tongue. Vigorously whisking the pudding—or any custard with a generous amount of butter—breaks down the fat into tiny droplets that are too small to detect once the mixture cools.

Do you eat bread pudding with a spoon or fork? ›

Advice: Ditch the fork – it's completely superfluous – and dig in with the spoon!

Why is bread pudding called pudding? ›

' If you're wondering why it is called a pudding, it's because this dish includes a cereal base (the bread) and has a soft and spongy consistency after baking.

Can you reheat bread pudding in the microwave? ›

Microwave - heat in increments of 10-15 seconds/or until your desired temperature is reached. Oven - remove bread pudding from the plastic container and place in an oven safe dish. Heat at 250 degrees for 5-7 minutes or until your desired temperature is reached.

Does pudding get thicker as it cools? ›

It will coat the back of the spoon; test it by running your finger down the spoon. You should wipe a clear, clean line through the custard. Remove from heat. The pudding will thicken more as it cools.

How do I know if my bread is done? ›

Inserting a toothpick into the center of a baked good is a tried and true method to test for doneness. If the toothpick comes out clean, your bread is likely fully baked. It needs a bit more time if it comes out wet with dough or crumbs.

What happens if you overcook pudding? ›

But regardless of how a pudding is cooked, it is always handled with care. For in the life of a pudding there is just one split second between velvety thickness and a pot full of curds. Curdling occurs when the eggs in a pudding are overcooked.

How long does cooked pudding take to set? ›

Pour the pudding into a bowl and place in the fridge for 5 minutes. The pudding may seem thin, but will thicken as it cools. Once the 5 minutes are up, take a spoon and gingerly stick it into the pudding. If it hasn't set, leave the pudding in the fridge a while longer.

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