8cupsbreadcrumbsabout 1 standard loaf, or any bread you have on hand — leftover biscuits work great
4cupsmilk
6tablespoonsbuttermelted
6large eggsbeaten
⅔cupsugar
1teaspoonvanilla extract
½teaspoonground nutmeg
Pinchof salt
For the Warm Lemon Sauce:
½cupsugar
1½tablespoonsall-purpose flour
1cupboiling water
2tablespoonsbutter
Pinchof nutmeg
Pinchof salt
1½teaspoonsfresh lemon juice
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish and set aside. You'll also want a larger pan or baking sheet on hand for the water bath.
Scald the milk. Pour 4 cups of milk into a saucepan and heat over medium, stirring often, until the milk is hot and just barely starting to steam — right around 180°F. You don't want it to come to a boil. The whole process happens fast at the end, so stay close and keep stirring so it doesn't stick to the bottom.
Prepare the bread. While the milk heats, tear your bread into small pieces — they don't have to be uniform. You want about 8 cups total. I didn't count exactly, but it was around a dozen slices for me. Place the breadcrumbs in a large mixing bowl.
Melt the butter. Pop 6 tablespoons of butter in the microwave for 30 seconds or so to melt. Set aside to cool slightly.
Pour the scalded milk over the bread. Pour the hot milk right over your breadcrumbs and give it a good stir to make sure all the bread is in the liquid. You'll see the breadcrumbs shrink down right away as they soak up the milk.
Mix the custard. In a separate bowl, beat the 6 eggs. Add the melted butter, sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. Stir until well combined, then pour the egg mixture into the soaked bread and stir everything together gently.
Pour into the pan. Transfer the mixture to your greased 9x13 baking dish.
Set up the water bath. Place a larger baking sheet or roasting pan in the middle of your oven and pour hot water into it. Set the bread pudding pan right down in the middle of the hot water. The water bath keeps the pudding from drying out and gives it that lovely custardy texture.
Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Start checking at 45 minutes by sliding a knife into the center — when it comes out clean, it's done. Mine took right at 45 minutes.
Make the warm lemon sauce while the pudding bakes. In a small saucepan (off the heat for now), whisk together ½ cup sugar and 1½ tablespoons flour. Use the back of your spoon to break up any lumps — this is easier to do before you add liquid.
Add the boiling water slowly. Pour 1 cup of boiling water into the sugar and flour mixture and stir to combine. Place the pan over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil, stirring the whole time. Once it boils, let it cook for about 5 minutes — it'll thicken into a light syrup as it goes.
Finish the sauce. Pull the pan off the heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons of butter and let it melt right in. Add a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of salt, and 1½ teaspoons of lemon juice. Stir until smooth. (If you'd rather make a vanilla sauce instead, just swap the lemon juice for a teaspoon of vanilla.)
Serve warm. Slice the bread pudding into squares, spoon the warm lemon sauce generously over the top, and serve right away.
Dry bread is your friend. Fresh, soft bread will work, but slightly stale or dried-out bread holds up better and soaks up the custard more evenly. This is the perfect recipe for using up leftover bread or biscuits before they go to waste.
Don't skip the water bath. It's the difference between a bread pudding that's dry and one that's silky. Just don't fill the outer pan so high that it sloshes — about an inch is plenty.
The lemon sauce is the star. I know the bread pudding is technically the main event, but that warm sauce poured over the top is what makes people ask for the recipe. Make extra if your family loves it.
Serve it warm if you can. Bread pudding tastes wonderful at room temperature too, but warm with that sauce just barely melting into it — that's how you want to eat it.