I am such a bread pudding girlie. If I see bread pudding on a dessert menu at any restaurant, I must try it! Sometimes it does not go well for me. I’ve become a connoisseur. Haha
I really love different kinds of bread pudding. If you’ve been around for a while then you know that we have many different bread pudding recipes and I have a few more cooking up in my head right now!
Last year I bought a sourdough round the week of Thanksgiving. I cannot remember why. Anyways, it did not get used and the week after Thanksgiving it was still sitting there. It was a little dry, and a little stale. PERFECT for bread pudding! I also had some leftover oranges and cranberries. I decided to put it all together for my new favorite bread pudding!
I sliced that sourdough round into large cubes and set them aside in a large mixing bowl. Then, I whisked 5 eggs and 3 cups of milk.
I added brown sugar, vanilla extract, orange zest and orange juice. I then added a little cinnamon and salt. Already this is looking and smelling so good!
It is best to use freshly squeezed orange juice from the orange that you just zested. You will also need zest and juice for the orange vanilla cream sauce that we drizzle over the top. I LOVE this little juicer I use by hand. I couldn’t find the exact one, but this one HERE is very similar!
Now we are going to pour all that liquid over the bread cubes. Gently stir and fold till the liquid starts to absorb into the bread.
Add in the 1 cup of cranberries and fold them into the bread cubes and liquid.
Rub a light layer of butter all over the bottom, corners and up the sides of a 9×13 baking dish. Pour the wet bread and cranberries into the prepared baking dish.
If you have a handful of extra cranberries, I like to sprinkle them over the top. It just looks prettier if they aren’t all buried under the bread. Plus, this extra handful adds a little more pop of flavor.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Another extra option is to lightly dust the top of the bread pudding with 1 Tablespoon of white sugar and put it back in the oven for the last 5 minutes of baking. This is just an option, and not necessary. I like doing this because the sugar kind of caramelizes and creates a light crust over the top that I really like on a bread pudding.
Let the bread pudding sit, settle and cool for about 10 minutes. While that is cooling, make the cream sauce for the top.
Make a roux by melting the butter. Add the flour. Lightly brown the butter by cooking and stirring the butter and flour over low heat for 3ish minutes. Slowly whisk in the sugar and then the half and half. Slowly whisk while cooking over medium heat. Cook until it is steamy and slightly thickened. Remove from heat.
Separate an egg. Whisk just the yolk. Add about a 1/4 cup of the hot roux to the egg yolk while whisking it to keep it from curdling. While whisking, add the tempered egg mixture to the pot of cream sauce. Whisk over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the vanilla, orange zest and orange juice. Stir all together and pour into a small pitcher or ladle it from the pot over each serving of bread pudding.
I took this to a Christmas get together last year with friends and it was devoured! I am excited to make it this year for large family Christmas Eve Brunch. I know everyone will love it.
If you are all a bread pudding love like me, then definitely check out these other recipes –
- Pumpkin Bread Pudding
- Peaches & Cream Croissant Pudding
- Strawberry Croissant Bread Pudding
- Raspberry Bread Pudding
And these other recipes that are not bread pudding, but similar, and SO good! –
- Crockpot Gingerbread Pudding Cake
- Rhubarb Pudding Cake
- Indian Pudding
- French Strawberry Cake
- Peach Upside Down Cake
Cranberry Orange Bread Pudding
Equipment
- 9×13 baking dish
- microplane grater for zesting an orange
Ingredients
- 1 large round loaf of sourdough bread
- 5 eggs
- 3 cups milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries can use dried if that is all that is available
- 2 Tbsp orange zest
- 2 Tbsp orange juice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 handful extra cranberries for the top optional
- 1 Tbsp white sugar for the top optional
Vanilla Cream Sauce
- ½ cup butter
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- ½ cup white sugar
- 2 cups half and half
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 Tbsp orange juice Preferably freshly squeezed from the orange you are zesting.
- 1 Tbsp orange zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Slice the bread into thick slices, then cut into 1-2 inch cubes. If you have time, spread the bread out over a large baking sheet and leave to sit out for a few hours, or even overnight. This step is not absolutely necessary, but it is recommended to dry the bread out. It will hold its form better after absorbing the liquid.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the milk, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons each of orange juice and orange zest, cinnamon and ½ teaspoon of salt. Whisk it all together well.
- Prepare a 9×13 baking dish by rubbing with butter or olive oil to prevent sticking.
- Place the bread cubes in a large mixing bowl. Next, evenly pour the egg and milk mixture over the bread in the bowl. Use a large spoon or rubber spatula to stir and fold till the liquid is mostly soaked into the bread. Stir the cranberry into the wet bread cubes. Be gentle and use a folding motion to the bread doesn't get too torn up.
- Pour the wet bread cubes and any leftover liquid into the prepared baking dish. If you have a handful of extra cranberries available, I like to sprinkle them over the top.
- Bake at 350℉ for 45-50 minutes. The liquid should be fully baked in the center when done. If you like, sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of white sugar all over the top and set back in the oven for the last 5 minutes to caramelize and crisp up the top. Set aside and cool while you make the vanilla cream sauce.
Vanilla Cream Sauce
- Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan. Whisk in the flour over medium low heat.
- Add in the ½ cup of sugar and the half and half. Stir or whisk slowly over medium heat till it is hot and steamy.
- Whisk an egg yolk in a separate bowl. Use a small whisk or fork. Measure about ⅓ cup of the hot cream mixture and whisk it into the egg yolk to temper the yolk to keep it from curdling. This will heat it up more gradually so it does not scramble when you add it to the cream. Now that it is tempered, pour the heated yolk into the saucepan while whisking.
- Stir over medium heat for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla extract, orange zest and orange juice.
- Pour into a small pitcher is you wish or ladle from the saucepan over each serving of the bread pudding.