Morning Bread Pudding Recipe (2024)

Don't let the caramelized sugar get too "dark brown". Not only does caramelized sugar turn quickly, it will continue to cook and caramelize in the oven, and as mine did, overcook/burn and ruin the pudding. Next time I make this I will err on the side of a lighter caramel color and recommend the recipe writers consider making that important change.

I believe the slices are to be 1/2" thick; and 3" in diameter, cut into rounds. A cookie cutter (or something similar) would help.
The mascarpone is baked in the pudding, while the individual servings are topped with fromage frais or formal blanc.
Hope this helps; happy cooking!

Fresh cheese. You could use a really thick yoghurt instead.

This is a fabulous way to start a lazy morning! Better yet, the recipe is totally forgiving: Any kind of bread, milk, and filling can be used. I freeze all those end bits of loafs, then cut them into large cubes when enough and use the mix to add interest. Consider adding orange marmalade, chopped nuts, fresh or dried fruit, etc. between layers. Also, when you refrigerate it overnight, cover with a bread board about the same size, with two cans on top to keep the bread from floating.

The unnecessary over-complications of this recipe are to the extreme. Make it like you would an upside-down cake, combining brown sugar and butter in a cast iron skillet on top of the stove or oven-proof dish in the stove. Just cube the bread! The proportions of eggs to milk is way off the charts! I can't believe this was published.

Why not just use small cubes of Challah and use a shallow casserole dish. The assembly in this recipe seems unnecessary.

Make the caramel sauce the same way directed but once it starts to turn a light brown add heavy cream to thin it out, you can eyeball this maybe a few tablespoons. For a sauce you need a liquid component. Otherwise it will no matter how it’s done turn into more of a brittle texture.

I made this for a Christmas brunch. It was ok, but we would have preferred a bit more texture. Even when cooked for 45 minutes, the brioche/egg mixture was too soft, so people tended to eat around the edges. Maybe it would be better with a heartier-textured bread, but I won't make this again.

Among other things, I can’t understand how the almonds ended up on top of the caramel when they were put in at the opposite part of the dish. These look like they were added to the caramel, as opposed to on top of the partially baked eggy bread?

This was delicious. Though some have said it is dry, mine was almost too moist. The one issue I had was the caramel was harder than it should be. It was a bit like a crown of caramel that needed a knife to cut. Not sure what I did incorrectly to cause this.

Was disappointed in this. Dealing with caramel is not easy to begin with, so it does take some work. I'm not going to fix it again, but if I did, I'd use more almonds, but replace the almond extract with a teaspoon or more of vanilla, and top it with whipped cream!

The almond extract is optional (and IMO disgusting). Feel free to substitute an extract that tastes good to you, like vanilla, orange, or both. Or skip it altogether - it is not necessary for the "chemistry" of the dish.

I Reduced sugar to one quarter cup and added a granny smith apple and a handful of raisins. Spectacular!

I made this recipe with cubed bread and threw in some extra stuff like an apple that was getting old, some sausage etc. My goal was more utilitarian than glorious guest presentation. One important change was that, having read the notes below about too much caramelization, I only let it get to "gold" then pulled it off the stove and mixed it with enough bread cubes to cover the bottom of my pan. That worked well. Everything was tasty and no burning.

I was anxious about how this would turn out given some of the other comments, but we went very light on coloring the caramel sauce, added some cream, and it actually turned out delicious and did not have a rock hard crust on it :-) the caramel did seem very hard when we first chilled it but it softened up again in baking

The almond extract is optional (and IMO disgusting). Feel free to substitute an extract that tastes good to you, like vanilla, orange, or both. Or skip it altogether - it is not necessary for the "chemistry" of the dish.

I liked the layering technique. Sure we can just cube or tear the bread , but what a nice presentation for something fancier- like a Holiday brunch.

Also cooked to 165 F on I stand read thermometer and for 50 min at 375. It puffed up about 35 min. In order to avoid burning top left covered with foil for first 30 min.

I did several things differently after reading comments & was quite good. 1. I dried the bread on a rack in a sheet pan & turning oven to 200 F & turning off once temp reached & allowed to cool. 2. instead of mascarpone I used cream cheese & tartness was welcome. 3, I sprinkled toasted pecans throughout the layers. 4. I added several tbsp cream & 2 tbsp extra butter to caramel & it stayed a sauce. 5. I used 1tbsp dark maple syrup, 1/2 tsp almond extract, & 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract.

Among other things, I can’t understand how the almonds ended up on top of the caramel when they were put in at the opposite part of the dish. These look like they were added to the caramel, as opposed to on top of the partially baked eggy bread?

The unnecessary over-complications of this recipe are to the extreme. Make it like you would an upside-down cake, combining brown sugar and butter in a cast iron skillet on top of the stove or oven-proof dish in the stove. Just cube the bread! The proportions of eggs to milk is way off the charts! I can't believe this was published.

A tip if you want a more dry pudding is to leave out the milk completely and not cover in the refrigerator. I tried this and my mother in law said it reminded her of her youth. Good luck.

Why not just use small cubes of Challah and use a shallow casserole dish. The assembly in this recipe seems unnecessary.

'Place heel of loaf in center and arrange pieces around it'....is this to form a ring shape for finished product (do I remove heel at some point?) or does it remain to yield a pattern?

Disappointing. Very bland, slightly eggy. Won't make it again.

Was disappointed in this. Dealing with caramel is not easy to begin with, so it does take some work. I'm not going to fix it again, but if I did, I'd use more almonds, but replace the almond extract with a teaspoon or more of vanilla, and top it with whipped cream!