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
Thanks Christy for another goodie and a way to use a leftover. I’ve used leftover hotdog and hamburger buns for a long time now to make bread pudding but not the leftover biscuits. as an empty nester I give my elderly neighbors food most everyday but even with giving biscuits away for their dinner I still have leftovers. I love your blog and I’m the world’s worst on grammar but sure can write some true, humorous, stories on my family life growing up with two great parents.
Marsha, where can we read those stories of yours? Do tell (please).
Mary, I was born and raised in a family of seven kids in the mountains of West Virginia. I had the best parents a girl could be blessed with. My mother a short little round thing as big around as she was tall (4″11″) and love to play harmful tricks on us kids and other. My daddy at 6’2″ was a Baptist deacon but was used to momma’s little shenanigans as he had a good sense of humor. When I started going to college and was in writing class my professor always said my stories even though true were nostalgic comedies. I’ve often said now that I’ve often said now that I’m an empty nester that I would start a blog about how things were then compared to now and make the site so like Christy has here we could all share stories and memories of our childhood. I have so many wonderful hilarious wonderful memories. Many times Christy stirs my memories up with her recipes and stories. So as for my crazy stories right now they are all saved on my laptop from where I had typed them for class and just couldn’t bring myself to delete them. After all how many kids can say their momma gave them a black eye? Yes a black eye because she was trying to sling a bucket of snowballs at me and the bucket slipped out of her hand and cracked me in the eye. she laughed so hard at what just had happened that she slipped and fell down in the snow and here we sat in a snow bank laughing like a couple of hyenas. Oh what sweet memories!
Marsha, I love your story about your Mom. From one West Virginia Girl to another. =^..^= I’m making biscuits for breakfast tomorrow, so I’m thinking I need to make a double batch!
Marsha G, get busy on that blog! Can’t wait!
Christy, I just love reading your stuff, always makes me smile 🙂 a being from north Georgia, I always understand you 🙂
bread pudding, poor peoples dessert….like so many things, much better than what the rich folks were eating 🙂
making it today…never tried w/coconut!, hey, it has to be wonderful.
God bless you Christy, you certainly are a blessing in my life. shirl
I love bread pudding and rice pudding. Can’t wait to try this. Christy, I too was a prolific reader as a child. I think it really helped me to do well in school. I am so glad your Katy is following your lead. Love reading about your life.
Thank you for the bread/biscuit pudding recipe. A couple of years ago I was so blessed as to get my Nana’s chocolate biscuit pudding recipe. It is so so good and a real treat to know I am carrying on my Nana’s recipe with my family. I do understand the biscuit dilemma. I have a family of six and well, being southern myself, it is hard to pass up a good biscuit, so I do like your Mama and make extra. I give strict instructions not to eat the extra biscuits all the while easing a edging in my mouth. lol. I will give this one a try today because the weather is calling for something warm and comforting to be available after dinner. Thanks!
Would love to see the chocolate biscuit pudding recipe!!!
Shut the front door! I used to work at Cracker Barrel and I would have hot bread pudding with ice cream for supper some nights. I can’t wait to make this but without the raisins because I always picked them out anyway.
Having eaten at our Cracker Barrel a few times recently, I can say that the biscuit quality has gone down. The poor things look mangled and are not fluffy by any stretch. Maybe if you (or your Mom) wrote to their headquarters and asked for the bread pudding back on the menu, you might get them thinking! And I LOVE coconut!
I miss hearing my Grandma talk to me and teach me things. Your “voice” over this blog reminds me of that blessed woman who loved her family and cooked her heart out! I treasure you “speechin”….please, whatever you do – don’t you dare change a thing! xoxoxo
I sure do wish I could hug you back right now because that is exactly what your words felt like to me!