Do you ever think of making bread pudding with the stale bread sitting on your counter? Well, I do, and I just happen to have a loaf of french bread about to turn green, so I grabbed for my favorite Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce recipe. We were heading to my cousin’s 10th Annual Mulligan and who doesn’t love something sweet after a delicious bowl of soup?
Vacations Are About Food
Years ago, Tom and I had the privilege of traveling to New Orleans with a group of co-workers. When I’m on a trip, I love to eat everything local. For me, the full experience of a region and all that it has to offer includes their cuisine. When it comes to New Orleans, their classic Cajun and Creole foods are unbeatable. Tom was heading to a War Museum, so I headed to The New Orleans School of Cooking. They offer demo classes which include watching, learning and of course, eating! There’s a lot of participation expected by the audience, and the teachers know exactly how to engage you as they share their recipes and their culture. The day I was there, the menu was gumbo and bread pudding. The best part is, you get a copy of the recipes, and they are to die for! If you are ever in New Orleans, consider signing up for one of their demo classes, it’s very entertaining.
Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce
What I love about bread pudding is just how easy it is to change up your add-ins, and it’s quick to make. This recipe includes raisins, coconut, and pecans. Feel free to drop one of them if you’re not a fan. The original recipe reads: combine all ingredients. Well, I like to mix the milk, eggs, sugar, and butter along with the seasonings before I add the rest of the ingredients. Make sure you taste the liquid mixture, it is so good.
Scratch and Sniff Not Included
If I could include a scratch and sniff, this would be the recipe. It smells so good while baking. This recipe includes both cinnamon and nutmeg. Just that combination alone, smell delicious and comforting. Watch your bake time on this one. The original recipe calls for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Depending on the size of the pan you use and your oven it could be less. In this post, I baked it for 1 hour and 5 minutes.
Whiskey Sauce vs. Lemon Sauce
My mom would make a lemon sauce when she made bread pudding. Of course, you couldn’t be feeding kids a whiskey sauce so lemon it was. A vanilla sauce can work too. In this recipe, you can substitute your favorite fruit juice or even another liqueur. I made this recipe in the afternoon and by the time I was making the sauce and tasting the sauce, yum and yikes. I was heading to church before the mulligan, so I needed to limit my tasting. The original recipe called for 1/2 cup of whiskey and I backed it down a little. A 1/4 cup of whiskey will give you the perfect flavoring.
The Mulligan
Yes, I’ve photographed the recipe in pretty dishes, and the dessert was heading out to the country for Jim and Cindy’s annual mulligan. I knew it was going to be dark by the time I made it out there, so I opted for shooting the recipe in the afternoon.
There’s always an abundance of desserts, especially for a mulligan. I’m sure that when you cook a pot of soup, you are thinking about a dessert to follow. Something sweet to follow a bowl of soup is the perfect combination.
Before I sign off, I’m going to include a couple of pictures from the evening. Thanks so much for stopping by, Rose
Meet my cousin, Jim. Isn’t he cool? Take a look at his display of wood. I could have taken a million pictures and have included more in my newsletter. He is definitely in his element.
- 1 10 oz loaf of stale French bread crumbled (or 6-8 cups of any stale bread)
- 4 cups milk
- 2 cups of sugar (this can be reduced to 1 cup if using raisins and coconut)
- 8 tablespoons of butter, melted
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup coconut
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- Whiskey Sauce
- 8 Tablespoons of butter
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- ¼ cup Bourbon Whiskey
- Mix milk, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
- Add crumbled bread, raisins, coconut, and pecans and stir.
- The mixture should be very moist but not soupy.
- Pour into a buttered 9 X 12 baking dish or larger.
- Place into a non-preheated oven.
- Bake at 350 degrees F. for approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
- (the bread pudding in this post, baked for 1 hour and 5 minutes)
- Can be served warm topped with sauce.
- Whiskey Sauce
- Cream butter and powdered sugar over medium heat in a heavy saucepan until all the butter is absorbed.
- Remove from heat and blend in egg yolks.
- Pour in the bourbon whiskey gradually to your taste, stirring constantly.
- The sauce will thicken as it cools.
- Serve warm with the bread pudding.
- Feel free to substitute your favorite fruit juice or liqueur in place of the whiskey.
- ENJOY!