Sourdough Bread Pudding: Day-Old Loaf, Brand New Dessert

If you bake sourdough regularly, you have day-old bread regularly. Bread pudding is the best possible use — better than croutons, better than breadcrumbs, better than feeding the birds.

The recipe

For one 9×13 pan (serves 8):

• 500g day-old sourdough, cubed (about 8 cups)
• 4 large eggs
• 500g whole milk
• 250g heavy cream
• 150g sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp butter, melted

Method

Cube the bread

Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes. Don't trim the crust — it adds texture.

If your bread is fresh (not stale), spread cubes on a sheet pan and dry in a 250°F oven for 15 minutes.

Mix the custard

Whisk eggs, milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until smooth.

Soak

Place bread cubes in a buttered 9×13 dish. Pour custard over the top. Press down gently so all cubes are saturated.

Let soak 30 minutes (or refrigerate overnight for deeper saturation).

Top

Drizzle melted butter over the top. Sprinkle with extra cinnamon sugar if desired.

Bake

350°F for 45–55 minutes until the top is golden and the center is set.

A knife inserted in the middle should come out mostly clean (slight custard cling is ok).

Rest

Let cool 15 minutes before serving. Bread pudding sets as it cools.

Variations

Apple cinnamon

Add 2 chopped apples and ½ cup raisins to the bread before pouring custard.

Chocolate

Add 1 cup chocolate chips to the bread. Reduce sugar to 100g.

Maple bourbon

Replace 50g of sugar with maple syrup. Add 2 tbsp bourbon.

Pumpkin

Replace 250g of milk with 250g pumpkin purée. Add 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice.

Savory

Skip sugar, vanilla, and spices. Add 200g grated cheese, ½ cup chopped scallions, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper. Serve as a brunch side.

Why sourdough is the best bread for this

Standard white bread makes a sweet, mushy bread pudding. Sourdough makes a complex, structured one. The crust adds bite. The crumb soaks beautifully without dissolving. The flavor cuts the sweetness of the custard.

Brioche works too (extra rich), but plain sourdough is harder to beat.

The custard ratio

The basic ratio: 1 part bread (by volume) to 1 part custard.

For 8 cups of bread cubes, you want roughly 4 cups of custard. The recipe above gives you exactly that.

If you have less bread, scale the custard down. Too much custard = soupy pudding. Too little = dry pudding.

Common mistakes

Soggy bread pudding — too much custard, or not enough bake time.

Dry bread pudding — not enough custard, or over-baked.

Eggy taste — too many eggs. Stick to 4 for this size.

Tough surface — over-baked. Check at 45 minutes, every 5 minutes after.

Sauce options

Bread pudding loves a sauce:

• Vanilla bean cream — 1 cup heavy cream + 2 tbsp sugar + ½ tsp vanilla, whisked until thick
• Bourbon caramel — 1 cup brown sugar + ½ cup butter + 2 tbsp bourbon, simmered 5 minutes
• Maple butter — equal parts melted butter and maple syrup
• Crème anglaise — for a French dessert experience

Drizzle generously while serving.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers up to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 30 seconds, or in a 350°F oven for 8 minutes covered.

Bread pudding doesn't freeze well — the custard separates. Make smaller batches.

Make-ahead notes

The unbaked bread pudding can sit in the fridge overnight (covered). Bake straight from cold the next morning — adds 10 minutes to the bake time.

This makes bread pudding a perfect Christmas morning or weekend brunch dish. Assemble the night before, bake while you make coffee.

Why this is the best stale bread use

• Croutons are good but limited
• Breadcrumbs are utility
• Strata is good but eggy
• Bread pudding is dessert (or breakfast)

A 250g sourdough loaf becomes 8 servings of dessert. That's a remarkable transformation.

A weekly habit

If you bake sourdough on Saturday, Friday is bread pudding day. Use whatever's left from the week. Different bread each time gives subtly different results — and that's the fun.