This Sourdough Bread Pudding puts a tangy twist on Brazilian-style bread pudding. Unlike chunky American bread pudding, the soaked bread is blended with eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla until smooth, then baked over homemade caramel for a dense, creamy, flan-like texture. The sourdough's subtle tang balances the sweetness, while a water bath helps the custard bake gently and evenly.
Made with stale sourdough bread, this Brazilian-inspired bread pudding is blended until smooth, baked in a caramel-coated Bundt pan, and cooked in a water bath until creamy and custardy.
Quick Look: Sourdough Bread Pudding
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 1 hour
- ⏳ Total Time: About 1 hour 20 minutes, plus chilling
- 🍽️ Servings: 10
- 🍞 Bread: Stale sourdough bread
- 🍮 Texture: Smooth, dense, and flan-like rather than chunky,
- 🍯 Caramel: The pan is coated with homemade caramel, which becomes the sauce when the pudding is unmolded.
- 💧 Method: The soaked bread mixture is blended smooth and baked gently in a water bath.
- ❄️ Make Ahead: This dessert needs time to cool and chill before unmolding, making it a good dessert to prepare ahead.
- 🇧🇷 Style: Brazilian-style bread pudding with sourdough used for a subtle tang that balances the sweetness.
- For another custard-style dessert made from leftover bread, try my Coimbra-Style Bread Pudding.
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Jump to:
- Quick Look: Sourdough Bread Pudding
- The Story Behind This Recipe
- Chef’s Notes from Valentina
- Ingredients
- Substitutions And Additions
- How to Make Sourdough Bread Pudding
- Expert Tips for Sourdough Bread Pudding
- Storage and Make Ahead
- More Pudding and Custard Desserts
- Sourdough Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce
The Story Behind This Recipe
This recipe was originally developed for Easy & Delish by Denise Browning and was inspired by the Brazilian-style bread pudding her mother made.
American-style bread pudding typically keeps the bread in larger pieces, giving the finished dessert a chunky texture. Portuguese and Brazilian-style bread puddings are often blended until smooth, producing a denser, flan-like consistency. They may be baked directly in the oven or gently cooked in a bain-marie (water bath), as in this recipe.
The recipe has been updated with clearer step-by-step instructions, troubleshooting, and practical guidance while preserving the original Brazilian-style preparation.
Ingredients
- Stale sourdough bread: Use bread that has had time to dry out rather than very fresh, soft bread. The drier crumb absorbs the warm milk well, while sourdough adds a subtle tang that helps balance the sweetness of the caramel.
- Whole milk: Warmed before soaking the bread so it softens thoroughly before blending.
- Eggs: Give the pudding its custard-like structure and help it set firmly enough to unmold and slice after chilling.
- Granulated sugar: Used for both the pudding mixture and the homemade caramel.
- Vanilla extract: Adds warmth and rounds out the flavor of the milk-and-egg custard.
- Water: Combined with sugar to make the caramel that coats the pan before the bread-pudding mixture is added.
Important ingredient note
The type and condition of the bread matter more here than they would in a chunky bread pudding. The goal is for the bread to absorb the milk completely so it can be blended into a smooth mixture. Stale sourdough works especially well because it is drier and more absorbent, while its slight acidity provides contrast to the sweet caramel.
How to Make Sourdough Bread Pudding
- Soak the bread.
Place the stale sourdough bread in the warm milk and soak for about 15 minutes, or until thoroughly softened. The bread should absorb the milk well so it blends into the smooth texture that distinguishes this pudding from chunky American-style bread pudding.
- Make the caramel.
Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and cook over medium heat for 8–10 minutes, without stirring, until the sugar dissolves and turns golden amber. Carefully pour the hot caramel into the baking pan and tilt to coat the bottom. Set aside.
- Blend and pour.
Transfer the soaked bread and milk to a blender. Add the eggs, sugar, and vanilla, then blend until completely smooth with no visible pieces of bread. Pour the mixture into the caramel-coated pan.
- Bake, unmold, and chill.
Place the pudding pan inside a larger pan and carefully add boiling water until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the pudding pan, taking care not to splash water into the pudding mixture. Bake for 45–55 minutes, until the top is set but the center is still slightly jiggly. Remove from the water bath and let cool. Run a thin knife around the edges to loosen the pudding, place a serving plate over the pan, and carefully invert it onto the plate so the caramel flows over the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until thoroughly chilled, before slicing and serving.
How to tell when it’s done
The top should look set, but the pudding should still have a slight jiggle in the center when you gently move the pan. Don’t wait for it to become completely firm in the oven—it will continue to set as it cools and chills. Baking usually takes 45–55 minutes, but the exact time can vary by oven and pan depth.
Storage and Make Ahead
Make ahead: This is an excellent make-ahead dessert because it needs to refrigerate for at least 4 hours after unmolding. Preparing it the day before also gives it plenty of time to become thoroughly chilled.
Refrigerate: Keep leftover pudding covered in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.
Freeze: Freezing isn't recommended for this recipe because thawing can alter its smooth custard-like texture.
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Sourdough Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
For the Easy Bread Pudding:
- 17.6 ounces stale sourdough bread chopped (or French bread but only if sourdough is not available. My Mom makes it with French bread), about 500 g. For a low-carb dessert, use stale keto or low-carb bread.
- 3 cups whole milk warm (for a dairy-free and low-carb version, use unsweetened coconut milk)
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar Or use any sugar-free sweetener of choice.
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the caramel sauce for bread pudding:
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar or Allulose for a sugar-free version. NOTE: Please, do NOT use other sugar substitutes as they will not caramelize.
- ¾ cup water
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice to avoid crystallization, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F (180º C).
- Soak the stale bread in the warm milk until softened, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the caramel sauce: In a nonstick medium saucepan, stir together the sugar, water, and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, without stirring, until the sugar is melted and turns into an amber color (about 8-10 minutes). TIP: Make sure to not stir or disturb the mixture while cooking although you can tilt the pan to gently swirl.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Using oven mitts, pour the caramel into a 10-inch (or 25 cm) ring baking pan, quickly swirl the caramel around the bottom and sides of the pan to evenly coat the ring pan. Let sit for at least 3-5 minutes or until hardened.
- Then, prepare the bread pudding. In a blender, blend the soaked bread and any not absorbed milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. Pour the mixture into the ring pan lined with the hardened caramel.
- Place the ring pan into a larger, rectangular baking pan and carefully fill the larger pan with boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the ring pan. NOTE: Make sure water doesn’t spill onto the bread pudding mixture.
- Bake in the middle rack of the oven until the bread pudding is set and slightly jiggly, about 45 to 55 minutes. NOTE: Baking time may vary depending on the oven, requiring more or less time in the oven. The pudding is ready when set and slightly jiggly!
- Transfer the ring pan to a rack and let the bread pudding cool down until slightly warm, about 30 minutes.
- Next, gently run a thin knife around the edges of the ring pan to loosen the bread pudding. Place a serving plate on top of the pan and carefully flip the pan onto the plate. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until chilled. Slice and serve! NOTE: Garnish the top as desired (I like mine with berries, lemon slices, and a few fresh mint leaves).
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
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I love how different this bread pudding is from the chunky version most people are used to. The smooth, flan-like texture with all that caramel makes it feel like a completely different dessert. If you make it, I’d love to hear how it turned out for you!
Wow, I've never tried a bread pudding before where the bread is blended into a custard, but I imagine I would like that very much, especially with coconut milk! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Thank you for visiting my blog!
I hope you can make the bread pudding. This is my Mom's recipe...
After making it, I became a big fan of it. It is even more delicious chilled and the day after.
If you make it, please give me the feedback. Have a great week!!!!!!!!!!!
This was insane with berries and whipped cream.. legit so impressive and I made it..