Paula Deen Bread Pudding Recipe (Absolute Dessert Heaven)

Any dessert can make you fall in love but this Paula Deen Bread Pudding Recipe will show you the perfection of a dessert! The flavor of creamy and sweet heavy cream indulged along with the Italian bread makes a perfect combo for a Christmas evening.

This Paula Deen Bread Pudding Recipe is the ultimate dessert heaven you’ve been looking for! It is prepared with Italian bread, milk, heavy cream, sugar, eggs, etc., and also comes with a twist of chocolate flavor because of Hershey’s cocoa powder.

If you are into amazing recipes, you should know Paula Deen from her cookbooks and TV shows. She has appeared in multiple TV programs and presented her amazing recipes and skills to the world. Among her famous recipes, we will be looking at her famous bread pudding recipe in this article.

What is a Bread Pudding?

A bread pudding is a combination of bread along with the flavor of a pudding, just as in the name. It is a creamy baked dessert that has a sweet and flavorful taste. The main positive of making the bread pudding is to avoid wastage of bread and make a delicious dish out of it.

You can both prepare bread pudding as a sweet dessert or a savory side to your meal. Usually, bread puddings are made sweet with sugar, vanilla extract, milk, eggs, and many other items. But if you want, you can go for a savory taste and prepare it with cheese, meat, milk, black pepper, etc.

To avoid throwing out your stale bread, you can create a delicious meal with them and surprise your family with many unique recipes. Let’s see how Paula Deen made the best use of leftover bread with her bread pudding recipe.

How to Make the Best Paula Deen Bread Pudding

Equipment

• Oven
• Oven Mitts
• Cooking Spray
• Baking Dish
• Large Bowls
• Whisk
• A Fork or Knife
• Serving Bowls

Ingredients

• 1 lb Italian or French Bread: You can take about 15 cups of bread, and cut it into cubes for this dessert. You are to allow the bread pieces to stale overnight in a bowl, so they get hard and are ready for the dish.
• 3 cups Milk: You can use whole milk for this recipe. You also have the option to prepare it using 3 tbsp milk powder in 3 cups of water.
• ¼ cup Heavy Cream: Heavy cream is the essence of this dessert and you cannot miss this out. 
• ½ cup Liqueur: For the best outcome, you can use liqueur with a coffee aftertaste. Kahlua would be a great option.
• 1 cup Granulated Sugar: You can use granulated or powdered sugar, based on availability.
• 1 cup Brown Sugar: Packed light brown sugar will enhance the sweet taste of the dish, which is why it is used along with regular white sugar.
• ¼ cup Cocoa Powder: The chocolatey flavor from the cocoa powder is the final bow. It creates a hint of boldness along with the chocolatey flavor.
• 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract is used for the creamy rich flavor, as in any other dessert recipes.
• 2 tsp Almond Extract: Almond extract will infuse a nutty taste in the dessert that compliments the creamy texture.
• 1 ½ tsp Cinnamon: Cinnamon powder will act as the cherry on top. A subtle cinnamon hint will increase the dessert vibe of the dish.
• 6 Large Eggs: Of course, eggs are needed for the pudding mix. It helps to make the sauce for the dessert.
• 8 ounces Chocolate: The boldness and creaminess of chocolate will add to the texture of the dessert, along with its delicious flavor.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare the Oven for Baking

Turn on the oven and set the temperature at 325 degrees. Prebake for some time to make the insides ready for baking the bread pudding.

After that, take your baking dish and apply cooking spray lightly to the surface.

Step 2: Make the Dry Mix for the Bread Pudding

Take a large bowl and mix together all the dry items for the pudding; the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa powder.

Step 3: Prepare the Wet Mix for the Sauce

After making the dry mix, take another bowl and toss all the wet ingredients for the sauce. Mix well the milk, cream, eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, and liqueur until they completely blend.

Step 4: Time for the Pudding Mix

For the pudding mix, combine the wet and dry mixes from the two bowls and whisk until they mix well. 

Step 5: Grate Your Chocolate

Take a grater and grate your chocolate bar. Once you are done, stir in the grated chocolate into the pudding mix.

Step 6: Tear the Bread into Pieces

Cut or tear the bread pieces into 1 inch cubes and set them aside in the baking dish. 

Step 7: Add the Pudding Mix with the Bread

Now that your pudding mix is complete, it is time to pour it on the bread pieces. Pour it evenly on the bread pieces and move on to the next step.

Step 8: Stir Well and Let the Bread Soak in the Mix

To evenly coat the bread pieces, stir the bread in the pudding mix. Let the bread absorb the mix for 20 minutes by stirring occasionally. When most of the mixture is absorbed, it is time to bake.

Step 9: Bake Time!

Bake the bread pudding for 40 minutes. It may need more or less time depending on the consistency of the pudding and the amount of bread. You can check from time to time by inserting a knife or fork inside the pudding while baking.

When you feel like the pudding is set, your baking is done.

Step 10: Serve It Hot or Cold

You can instantly serve the pudding warm in a serving bowl, or freeze it until it cools down. The warm version will feel softer as it is freshly baked, while the frozen taste will be more creamier and denser in texture. 

Which Bread should I Use for the Paula Deen Bread Pudding?

Honestly speaking, you can make it with any kind of bread that has become stale. But based on Paula’s recipe and other experiences, Italian or French bread works great for this amazing dessert. These two are available in almost every bakery shop.

Additional or Alternate Ingredients to Use in Bread Pudding

There are multiple items you can use in order to make your recipe a bit different than usual. Also, you can add these as additionals to enhance the flavor. Some of the items are mentioned below.

Pecans

You can chop pecans and mix them with the pudding mix right before giving the bread pudding a bake. The nuttiness from the pecans will help a lot in enhancing the flavor and texture.

Butter

Butter can be added along with the wet ingredients for its amazing aroma and smoother texture.

Brandy

You can use Brandy instead of Kahlua for the liqueur. This is an alternative that you can most certainly try out.

Alternative Recipe for Preparing the Bread Pudding in 30 Minutes

For a faster approach, prepare the oven for baking by preheating to 350 degrees. Besides, you can prepare the pudding mix beforehand and save it to bake later. When you start the recipe, pour over the pudding mix on the bread cubes and let it sit for 10 minutes.

As you have increased the preheating temperature, you can bake the mix for 20 minutes. The mixture will be softer than the original recipe but it might get better after cooling down. In this way, you can make the same bread pudding in 30 minutes instead of 1 whole hour.

Why is Paula Deen Bread Pudding Famous?

Paula’s bread pudding is famous for its rich texture and creaminess. She has some added ingredients in the toppings along with a delicious aftertaste. This is why her recipe has become famous and won over hearts all over the world. 

Why should I Try Paula Deen Recipe for Bread Pudding?

Bread puddings are a common dessert, but you should try this specific recipe for an added kick of sweetness. If you are craving something sweet but also a unique dessert item, you should definitely try this bread pudding recipe.

This recipe includes multiple common items that are easily available at your nearest stores. You do not need to go to extra hassle to collect the ingredients. This mouth watering dessert is easy and simple to make, within only 1 hour and 20 minutes of your time.

Tips and Tricks You can Follow

Using superfine sugar instead of granulated sugar will give you a smooth texture for Paula Deen bread pudding. This way, the sugar will mix thoroughly without the risk of having any solid chunks of sugar in the pudding. If you blend the granulated sugar before using a food processor or blender, you can get powdered sugar easily.

You can prepare all the mixes before night and just wait for the bread to go stale. Ironically this time, you can wait for the food to go stale in order to cook. Once you have your bread ready, you can instantly bake this bread pudding and prepare your dessert.

Notes

If you do not want the overly chocolatey flavor, you can omit the cocoa, and make a plain vanilla bread pudding.

You should wear an oven mitt to protect your hands while taking out the baking dish. Additionally, make sure you do not keep the dish or tray near any plastic, or the plastic will melt because of the heat.

To check the consistency of the pudding, you can use a wooden stick or skewer to insert it into the mixture. If the mix is still uncooked, it will stick to the skewer. Otherwise, it won’t

Nutritional Information

The necessary nutritional information for Paula’s bread pudding recipe is as follows.

Nutrient	Amount Per Serving	% Daily Value
Calorie	563.3 kcal
Calories from Fat	194 g	35 %
Total Fat	21.7 g	33 %
Saturated Fat	11.9 g	59 %
Cholesterol	145.3 mg	48 %
Sodium	361.1 mg	15 %
Total Carbohydrate	80.9 g	26 %
Dietary Fiber	5.9 g	23 %
Sugar	46.8 g	187 %
Protein	13.7 g	27 %

Final Thoughts

A simple dessert can be made extraordinary using Paula Deen bread pudding recipe. It can be made with the usual pudding ingredients with a little fusion with stale bread. The ingredients are simple and easily available in your nearest stores.

Having eggs, vanilla essence, almond extract, cinnamon, etc, this dessert serves as a perfect and delightful heaven. This Paula Deen best bread pudding is easy to make within only 1 hour. You can also make it faster in 30 minutes using some techniques.

Frequently Asked Questions: