Old Fashioned Bread Pudding Recipe
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This old-fashioned bread pudding recipe is like a warm, comforting hug in a bowl. It’s packed with sweet spices, plump raisins, and a hint of coconut, giving it a special twist. But what really makes it stand out are the buttermilk biscuits. They soak up all the delicious flavors and add a tender, slightly tangy bite to every spoonful.
When you dig in, you’ll experience a delightful mix of textures. The inside is soft and custardy, while the edges are just a bit crispy and golden. It’s the kind of dessert that brings back memories of family gatherings and cozy moments around the table.
This bread pudding isn’t just a sweet treat; it’s a taste of tradition and comfort. It’s a simple, classic recipe that never goes out of style. One taste and you’ll know why it’s been cherished for generations.
This dessert recipe is the spitting image of the bread pudding they used to serve at Cracker Barrel in the old days. Like its counterpart, my traditional bread pudding is overflowing with delicious ingredients, like buttermilk biscuits, sweetened coconut flakes, raisins, and cinnamon. Together, they make a bread pudding that’s so flavorful and delicious!
Now, while most bread pudding recipes use stale bread, we’re working with buttermilk biscuits (it’s the Southern way, of course). You’re going to have to make them. I’ll share some recipes with you in a minute that will give you the amount you need for the dish and you’ll still have a few to eat to keep your strength up while we make the rest of the dish.
Ingredients Needed To Make Old Fashioned Bread Pudding
- Biscuits
- Sweetened flaked coconut
- Raisins
- Milk
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla
Helpful Kitchen Tools
Biscuit Recipes
Take a moment, if you will, to join me in light and fluffy biscuit appreciation. If you’re wearing a hat, now is one of those times where you take it off and hold it over your heart. These are the three-ingredient biscuits. I have other biscuit recipes, too, because biscuits are kinda like shoes to a Southern woman, different occasions call for different ones. You can see my tender buttermilk biscuits here and my hoe cake recipe is here, which is basically a big old giant biscuit. No, my hoe cake is not made with cornmeal. Some are and that’s fine. Mine isn’t and that’s fine, too.
How to Make Old Fashioned Bread Pudding
Crumble about 1/3 of your biscuits into an ovenproof bowl or
Top with half of your coconut.
Unless you are a coconut hater.
In that case, wave a little air over it in this part just to say you did something and then skip to the next step.
Top with half of your raisins.
1/3 of your crumbled biscuits.
Then remaining coconut and remaining raisins…
And the rest of the biscuits.
Now, beat together your eggs, milk, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla.
Oh, wait! Save 2 tablespoons of sugar but add all of the rest.
Pour the over everything in your bowl/baking dish.
Sprinkle two tablespoons of sugar over the top.
Bake at 350 for one hour, or until lightly browned on top.
Serve warm. Mama likes hers with a good quality scoop of vanilla ice cream but I like mine on its own.
Either way you go, this old fashioned bread pudding is like a little bit of heaven in a bowl.
How To Store Bread Pudding
- In even better news, leftover bread pudding will last in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 5 days.
- You can also freeze individual portions in freezer-safe containers for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then reheat in the microwave.
Commonly Asked Questions
What if I’m not a fan of coconut?
No worries! You can absolutely leave out the coconut. You don’t need to replace it with anything else. Just pretend it’s not there, and your bread pudding will turn out just fine. We all have our ingredient preferences, and there’s room for all tastes at the table.
How can I enhance the flavor of my bread pudding for dessert?
There are several delightful options! You can drizzle some maple syrup or caramel sauce over the pudding, add a dollop of whipped cream, or even top it off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Can I use non-dairy milk in this pudding recipe?
Absolutely! You have the option to use non-dairy milk, making it a versatile choice for various dietary preferences.
Are there any variations I can try with this old-fashioned bread pudding recipe?
Certainly! You can switch out the raisins for dried cranberries for a different flavor profile. If you’re feeling the fall vibes, consider adding spices like ground cloves, ginger, and nutmeg alongside the cinnamon already in the recipe. For a dessert-style twist, substitute the raisins with mini chocolate chips. And if you’re a fan of nuts, try sprinkling some chopped walnuts on top along with the sugar.
Can I change the type of sugar used for the topping?
Absolutely! You can switch out the white sugar for dark or light brown sugar to give the topping a more caramelized flavor. It’s a simple tweak that can add a whole new dimension to your bread pudding.
Here are more fabulous pudding recipes:
- Frozen Banana Pudding Cups
- How To Make Rice Pudding Southern-Style by Mama Reed
- Easy Homemade Banana Pudding with Meringue Topping
- Vanilla Wafer Pudding Recipe With Pineapple
- Chocolate Vanilla Wafer Pudding
- Banana Bread Pudding Sundae
Ingredients
- 2 cups crumbled leftover biscuits see post for recipes
- 3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut see post if you don't like coconut
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 4 cups milk
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 2-quart baking dish or medium-sized pyrex ovenproof bowl.
- Layer 1/3 crumbled biscuits, 1/2 coconut, and 1/2 raisins in a bowl. Top with 1/3 biscuits, remaining coconut and raisins, and remaining biscuits.2 cups crumbled leftover biscuits, 3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut, 1/2 cup raisins
- In a large bowl, mix all other ingredients together, reserving 2 tablespoons of the sugar.4 cups milk, 2 eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pour the liquid over the biscuit layers and sprinkle the remaining sugar over the top.3/4 cup sugar
- Bake for 1 hour, or until golden brown on top. Serve warm, with ice cream if desired.
Nutrition
“When a thought takes one’s breath away a lesson on grammar seems an impertinence.”
~T.W. Higginson
Love Biscuit Pudding! This one sounds like my Mother used to make. She called hers Cabinet pudding because she put whatever she had in it. Thanks for sharing this! Will definitely be making it soon!
Christy, I adore bread pudding and have a wonderful recipe made with French bread. Looking forward to trying yours. The only thing I would add, which makes an already divine recipe sublime, is a topping with meringue that has been lightly browned. Biting into the fluffy pudding with plump raisins, and the wonderful meringue is heaven!
I’ve never heard of anyone putting meringue on top of bread pudding! That does sound good!
Christy, I’m from DEEP south Louisiana and meringue on bread pudding has been had in my Cajun family now and again. So, so good. I remember eggnog at Christmas having beaten egg whites in it too. Thanks for this recipe, we’ve always used day old french bread for our bread puddings though. Using biscuits is a new one to me….Happy New Year to you and yours!
My bread pudding recipe changes every time that I make it. In general the egg custard ingredients remain the same but after that I use whatever I have on hand. Today’s batch included Italian bread cubed, small croissants cubed and a nut roll left from Christmas, also cubed. A handful of raisins and dried cranberries rounded out the mix. I have been known to use raisin bread, caramel sauce, French bread even fruit cake. They all add a different texture and what a great way to repurpose items which might otherwise not be eaten. If some of the breads are not slightly dried I will even toast the cubed items prior to adding them to the egg mixture. Ohio may not be known for its biscuits, but this Polish girl can make a tasty bread pudding.
I made this today, but cut recipe in half, I add the raisins. and coconut on one side. It took about 1 hour and 15 minutes, half called for 2 cups of milk, when I poured one cup on, it was a lot. Don’t think it would have held two cups. It was delicious. My mom made a bread pudding, using only biscuits, canned milk, sugar, possibly a bit of nutmeg or cinnamon. Loved that one too.
I just love your posts Christy, recipe or no. After spending a few years in the south in my youth, it’s like being back there for a bit, and sitting down for a chat with an old friend. Thanks for the warm fuzzies (and the recipes 🙂 )
Oh Peggy, thank you so much! You just warmed my heart and I’m so grateful I got to “chat” with you today 🙂
What can I substitute for biscuits and how much would I use? I don’t ever have any left over biscuits. We eat a lot of biscuits and gravy. My Husband would NEVER leave any left over biscuits
I address this in the post, towards the beginning. If you want to make real, honest to goodness bread pudding, I’d read there and follow what my mother did 🙂
P.S. I completely understand!
(It’s EAL hard to save hot biscuits when the SMELL of them is all over the house!! I used to wait by the oven and grab as many as Mom would allow and fill them with butter. Maybe they should be made when no one else is at home?)
I wouldn’t mind the coconut but the raisins have to go! Blech! I wish I could have just one more serving of my Mama’s bread pudding. We didn’t get it often and it was such a treat. Maybe when I get to heaven she’ll make me a batch.
Well now this is a first, I think! You can leave them out or if you like dried cranberries….
I know it’s not traditional to leave out the raisins but my Mama spoiled us even with her cooking. She would make our favorites the way we liked them even if it didn’t make sense sometimes! Prime example – Icebox fruitcake. My sister didn’t like the candied fruit so Mama made hers without the fruit – just the cake and nuts.
Any recipes for freezing biscuits that have not yet been cooked? I see these in bags at the store. Would like to make my own.
Thanks in advance!
I’m with you Lisa, yuck to raisins, I used pecans and cranberries(still have a freezer full from Christmas) and it was awesome!
I love bread pudding and can’t wait to try this with the biscuits!! Thank you for sharing! Love all your recipes…so simple and easy to follow:)
Thank you so much, Becky!!!
Looks great. I’m making this today. You posted just in time. Have to make dinner for 8 people and my car is on the blink and I can’t go to the store. I have all the ingredients. Yay!
Just for the record, I’m good at grammar, have been reading your posts from the beginning. Guess I was so interested in what you were writing that I didn’t notice any mistakes!
I think we find what we are looking for and you were looking at me with a kind heart and no desire to judge 🙂 Thank you!!! I hope you enjoy this!
“A kind heart and no desire to judge” would that we would all live that way every day.
I love your posts!! ALL of them!!
I was very pleased to find this bread pudding recipe today. My daughte asked if I had one about a month ago, now I have a GOOD one to give to her!!!
When I was a teenager, back in the sixties, I made some for my dad and he said it was the best he ever had!! Of coarse, he would have said that if it had been nasty!! Wish he was still around=== I would bake him some from your recipe!!!!
Thanks for all you do for all of us!!!
Pamela
This is a follow up from my post yesterday. I made this for taking to my daughter’s house last night. Everyone loved it, including the kids. There wasn’t any left!
I did have trouble getting it done. After an hour in the oven it was still watery and I needed the oven for something else. Yikes! Fortunately, I was able to put it in the toaster oven to continue baking. It took another hour! I don’t think I used too much liquid but maybe I goofed somewhere.
You mentioned that this is like the bread pudding Cracker Barrel used to make. I don’t remember that. I am from the town, Lebanon, TN, where Cracker Barrel started and is headquartered still. I know the people who started it. I am still in touch with one of the daughters of a founder. I have the two cookbooks she has written.
Her two cookbooks and your two are the only cookbooks I have bought in recent years!
She always includes a few recipes from the Cracker Barrel menu, but I looked last night and bread pudding was not included. I don’t know if she knows about you or not, but I am going to tell her about you.
Like you, she is working on a third cookbook. Maybe I will ask her to include the bread pudding recipe if she has it. Like you also, she puts in recipes from her southern family. On the inside of the front and back covers she has a collage of old hand written recipe cards from her family members. The cards even show a few splatters. 🙂 The first one of her books is called Southern to the Core. I got both at Cracker Barrel in TX where I live now.
I have asked servers and managers about their bread pudding and no one that I have spoken with remembers it. Do you have the recipe for the sauce that Cracker Barrel used to pour over the bread pudding? Thank you so much for your post, this bread pudding taste just like I remember it.
I’ll ask Mama but off the top of my head I suspect it may be a homemade custard sauce: https://www.southernplate.com/2013/11/mamas-custard-sauce.html
I worked at Cracker Barrel in Paducah KY when it first opened and was the most northern store they had at that time. It would have been somewhere around 1985-1987 probably. And yes, there was most definitely bread pudding on the menu and I loved it. It did not have any kind of sauce on it. It was straight up bread pudding, served warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. My preferred method was to pick out all the raisins (just not a fan), heat it up to very warm and put my ice cream on so it would start to melt. And that’s what I had for supper many nights when I worked there.
Trying this out today. My sweet Momma made something very similar when I was growing up and she called it biscuit pie. She’d mix everything up early that morning before work, stick in the fridge and bake it when she got home from work. I always looked forward to it. Looking forward to hearing this after supper tonight.