Heavenly Caramel Bread Pudding is a decadent dessert that you will love to serve your friends and family.
Having been an army family for 24 plus years, we have lived in a number of different places and had great experiences with the many people and cultures that have been a part of our life over that time span.
Some of the nicest memories we have were of when we lived in Germany.
Imagine doing your shopping while walking down a cobblestone road inside a medieval walled city. Looking in the shop windows, smelling the aromas coming from the Bäckerei.
Or wandering through another town, munching on roasted spiced nuts from the cart on the corner (the inspiration for my roasted spiced nut recipe) and listening to the sounds of laughter and music while in the shadow of a beautiful castle. It is truly a magical experience.
Over the years, no matter where we lived – from North Carolina to Alaska – many of our holidays were spent with our “extended” family.
Sometimes it was a big dinner, but other times it might have been a potluck Tapas Party, an Independence Day Cookout, or New Year’s Eve fireworks on a frozen pond.
I was at a small gathering of brave army wives on a cold and icy night in the town of North Pole, Alaska where we got together for a “white elephant” gift exchange. I literally came home with a white elephant. It was a ceramic coffee creamer.
But what was really memorable about that night was that I got a crash course in what community looks like in Alaska. The weather was brutally cold, the roads were typical Alaska – covered in packed ice and snow that you simply learn to drive on. But one of the wives who had never driven in snowy conditions before, slid off the road.
Moments after it happened, a resident on the road came by and noticed. But they didn’t just drive on by and shake their heads…No! They stopped, pulled a tow strap from their truck, and pulled her back onto the road.
It’s just what people do up there. My husband and I were rescued in similar fashion when out in the wilderness the following winter.
Yes, family doesn’t always share your DNA. Our army family is huge and varied, but loved and cherished.
Now that our military life is ending and the holidays are spent more with our actual family, I can only hope that my own son and daughter-in-law are able to make the same kinds of lasting memories themselves on their journey as a new military family.
Though I do have to admit, I am thankful we don’t have to go through it without the wonder of the internet – and video chats! There’s nothing better than being able to talk to your son face-to-face from 7 time zones away!
Today, I am sharing with you a wonderful recipe for Caramel Bread Pudding. When I think of bread pudding, I think of home, hugs, and a roaring fireplace. There’s just something about it.
To Make this Recipe You Will Need:
- butter croissants
- granulatedsugar
- hot water
- heavy cream
- unsalted butter
- bourbon
- milk
- eggs
- 10 inch cast iron skillet skillet or 9×9 baking pan
- saucepan
- whisk
- spatula
- optional, ice cream or whipped cream
It all begins with homemade caramel sauce. Don’t be intimidated by caramel. It is incredibly easy to make and tastes amazing!
That gorgeous caramel is then mixed right in with the eggs and milk.
Next, place torn croissants or other bread in a buttered skillet. Can anything be bad if it has croissants in it? I think not.
Press the croissants into the custard with the back of a wide spatula to help it soak in.
And when it comes out of the oven? It would be tempting to take the whole dish and a spoon and run to another room. But believe me, your guests will appreciate your sharing it.
You can top this caramel bread pudding with some fresh whipped cream or ice cream if you like or simply eat it naked.
Did you Make this Recipe? I’d love for you to give me a 5 star rating in the recipe card below. If you share it on Instagram, please tag me!
Caramel Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 4 butter croissants
- 1 c sugar
- ¼ c hot water
- 1 c heavy cream
- 1 Tb butter
- ¼ c bourbon
- 1 c milk
- 4 eggs
- butter for the skillet
- optional, ice cream or whipped cream
Instructions
- To begin, butter a 9-inch cast iron skillet or a 9 x 9 inch baking dish. Tear the croissants into pieces and place them in the skillet. Set it aside for now.
- Place the water and sugar in a medium sized saucepan. Stir them together to a minute to dissolve the sugar a little.
- Heat the saucepan over medium high heat and let the mixture begin to boil. Without stirring, let it boil together until the sugar becomes a beautiful amber color, about 3-5 minutes. If you find that you need to mix it, simply swirl the saucepan over the heat. Remove it from the heat.
- Immediately add in the heavy cream while stirring briskly with a whisk. The mixture will bubble up suddenly, which is why you wanted a larger saucepan than you would have assumed for the amount of sugar.
- When it settles down, stir in the butter and bourbon. Return it to the heat and let it cook on low for another minute while you whisk it. Set this aside for a moment.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs. Add in the milk and whisk them together. While whisking briskly, slowly drizzle the caramel down the inside of the bowl and into the mixture. Pour this over the croissants. Take a wide spatula and gently press the croissants into the custard to absorb as much as they can. Set it aside while you preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake this in your oven for 20-25 minutes, or until it is set in the center.
- Allow it to cool for about 5 minutes before serving this heavenly dish. Feel free to serve it with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. Of course you could simply eat it naked. That is how I prefer it.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
If nutritional values are provided for this recipe, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands of ingredients you use. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste or for serving. If nutritional values are very important to you, I suggest using your favorite nutritional calculating tool with the brands you use.
This truly is heavenly! I’m all in when it comes to anything caramel, and I can almost taste this bread pudding now!
This looks amazing. My mom loves bread pudding and she’d be over the moon at this caramel version.
Looks delicious!
Bread pudding is my FAVORITE! This looks wonderful!
What a beautiful top on that bread pudding! I’ve been on a bread pudding kick lately- always looking for new recipes to try! :)
I love that you made this in a skillet! You are absolutely right about who makes up a family.
I adore bread pudding—and your decadent caramel version ranks up near the top of my favorites! It sounds amazing!!
I don’t think I could live in Alaska. I’m not much of a winter girl! haha I love how you say though, there is so much sense of community there. Loving this bread pudding!
Bread pudding with croissants and caramel = luscious! I need to make this for my husband. He hasn’t had a good bread pudding in a while and it would be a nice surprise for him.