Best Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce

This is a rich bread pudding that everyone seems to enjoy (and coworkers requested be posted here), and it really doesn’t need the whiskey sauce to be delicious.  The bread pudding recipe is adapted from Best Recipes by Cooks Illustrated while the whiskey sauce is from Penzeys spice catalog.

Bread Pudding

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 large eggs, plus 1 large yolk

3/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 cups whole milk

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons bourbon

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

12 ounces firm white bread, sliced 3/8 inch thick & cut into 1 1/2 inch square pieces (app 8 cups)

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Whiskey Sauce

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup bourbon

For the Bread Pudding:

Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and set aside.  Adjust the oven rack to lower-mid oven and heat to 325°F.  Butter a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.

Whisk eggs and sugar in a large bowl, and then blend in the milk, cream, bourbon, vanilla extract, nutmeg, and salt.  Stir in 6 cups of the bread cubes and mix thoroughly to moisten.  Let stand 20 minutes.

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.  Scatter the remaining 2 cups bread on top, pushing down to submerge.  Brush exposed bread with melted butter and sprinkle with reserved sugar & cinnamon mixture.

Bake 45 – 50 minutes or until pudding is golden brown, is beginning to rise in the dish, and jiggles slightly at the center when shaken.  Let cool about 45 minutes to set, and serve warm with whiskey sauce (below).  Serves 8 – 10.

For the Whiskey Sauce:

Heat butter and sugar over medium heat until all the butter is absorbed.  Remove from heat and blend in egg yolk.  Pour bourbon in gradually, stirring constantly.  The sauce will thicken as it cools.  Yields 1 cup sauce.

Bread Pudding Just Out of Oven