Make Caramel Bread Pudding at Home

Caramel bread pudding is the kind of dessert that feels like slipping into an old, worn-out armchair at your grandparents’ house—you know, the one that creaks a little but hugs you just right. It’s comfort food that doesn’t pretend to be anything fancier than it is. Soft, sweet bread soaked in a luscious custard, all sitting under a layer of sticky, golden caramel. It’s the treat that feels like it’s been waiting for you at the end of a long day.

Ingredients: You don’t need anything fancy. Just a few humble ingredients from the kitchen, and you’re good to go:

• 6 slices of slightly stale bread
• 500 ml full-fat milk 
• 4 large eggs 
• 150 gm sugar 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• Two pinches of cinnamon
• A pinch of salt

For the Caramel Sauce:

• 100 gm sugar
• 50 ml water

Process:

In a small pan, add the sugar and water, then let it sit over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Don’t stir. Please be patient, don't turn up the flame in a hurry or it will burn.  Soon the sugar will melt, bubble, and start to turn into that rich, deep amber that makes caramel so irresistible. As soon as it hits that perfect color (not too dark, not too light—think autumn leaves), take it off the heat and pour it into the base of your baking dish. Swirl it along the surface of the pan. And don’t worry when it hardens—it’ll melt back into a syrupy dream once it bakes.

Now for the pudding itself:

Take your bread slices and tear them up like you’re too lazy to use a knife. Big chunks, little chunks, all work! Toss them into a bowl. You’re not aiming for perfection, just texture. Actually,the more irregular, the better the pudding.

In a separate saucepan, gently heat the milk until it’s warm, not boiling. Meanwhile, in another bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and that crucial pinch of salt. Once the milk is sufficiently hot, slowly pour it into the egg mixture. Keep whisking throughout.

Pour this custard-like mixture over the bread and let it soak for about 10 minutes to the least. You will notice the bread puff up and get all spongy.

Assembly time:

Pour the soaked bread into the caramel-coated dish, spreading it out so every bite gets a bit of caramel. The bread should sit there like it owns the place.

Baking:

Preheat your oven to 180°C. Keep your pudding dish inside a larger tray, and pour hot water into the tray until it reaches halfway up the sides of your pudding dish. This water bath is important because it helps the pudding bake evenly, so it’s soft and custardy all the way through.

Slide it into the oven and let it bake at 180°C for about 45-50 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the top is golden and a little puffed, but the center still has a bit of wobble. If it’s too firm, you’ve gone too far. If it’s too wobbly, give it a few more minutes.

The big reveal:

Once your pudding has cooled slightly— because nobody wants to burn their mouth on molten caramel— run a knife around the edges and flip it onto a serving plate. The caramel will melt, the bread will look like it’s been kissed by a sugar fairy, and you’ll feel like a magician who just pulled off the ultimate dessert trick.

Serve it up, however you like:

Eat it warm, straight from the oven, with a big spoon and no regrets. Or, if you have the patience of a saint, chill it in the fridge for a few hours and let it firm up into a creamy custard. Either way, it’s a win.

Feeling extra? Top it with a scoop of ice cream, maybe vanilla, maybe something wild like salted caramel. Or go rogue and drizzle some extra caramel sauce over the top, because there’s no such thing as too much caramel.

Pro Tips for the Brave:

• If your bread’s too fresh, throw it in the oven for a few minutes to dry it out. Dry bread soaks up more custard.
• To spice things up, add a splash of rum to the custard. It’ll give your bread pudding a boozy kick that’ll have everyone asking for the recipe.
• Feeling a little tropical? Toss in some toasted coconut flakes or a handful of raisins.