Irish Bread Pudding with Whiskey Caramel Sauce

Name: Irish Bread Pudding with Whiskey Caramel Sauce
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 8 cup day-old bread, torn into rough 1-inch cubes (challah, brioche, or crusty white bread work beautifully); 2 cup whole milk; 1 cup heavy cream; 4 large eggs; 0.75 cup granulated sugar; 1 tsp pure vanilla extract; 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon; 0.25 tsp fine sea salt; 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled; 1 cup granulated sugar; 6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces; 0.5 cup heavy cream, room temperature; 3 tbsp good Irish whiskey (Jameson or Tullamore Dew work perfectly); 0.5 tsp fine sea salt

Whiskey-Soaked Irish Bread Pudding with Silky Caramel Drizzle

Transform yesterday's stale bread into something extraordinary with this custardy pudding that practically melts off the spoon. The real showstopper is the amber caramel sauce, made rich and complex with a generous splash of Irish whiskey that cuts through all that creamy sweetness.

IrishDessertComfort FoodHolidayIndulgentBakingWinter

Prep20 min

Cook45 min

Total1 hr 5 min

Servings8

Difficultymedium

Nutrition

fat16g

carbs52g

protein8g

calories385

Ingredients

Bread Pudding

8 cupday-old bread, torn into rough 1-inch cubes (challah, brioche, or crusty white bread work beautifully)
2 cupwhole milk
1 cupheavy cream
4 large eggs
¾ cupgranulated sugar
1 tsppure vanilla extract
½ tspground cinnamon
¼ tspfine sea salt
4 tbspunsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Whiskey Caramel Sauce

1 cupgranulated sugar
6 tbspunsalted butter, cut into pieces
½ cupheavy cream, room temperature
3 tbspgood Irish whiskey (Jameson or Tullamore Dew work perfectly)
½ tspfine sea salt

Instructions

Crank your oven to 350°F and generously butter a 9x13-inch baking dish. Don't skimp on the butter — it prevents sticking and adds flavor to those crispy edges.
Scatter the bread cubes evenly in your prepared dish. If some pieces are particularly large, tear them down a bit — you want roughly uniform chunks for even soaking.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until completely smooth. The mixture should be creamy and pale yellow with no streaks of egg white.
Pour the custard mixture evenly over the bread cubes and let them drink it up for 15 minutes. Every few minutes, gently press the bread down with a fork to help stubborn pieces absorb the liquid — you want every cube saturated.
⏱ 15 min
Drizzle the melted butter over the soaked bread and slide into the oven for 40-45 minutes. The pudding is done when the center barely jiggles when you shake the dish and the top turns a beautiful golden brown.
⏱ 45 min
While the pudding bakes, make your caramel. Heat the sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, letting it melt without stirring. Swirl the pan occasionally until you get a deep amber color — about 8 minutes. Don't rush this; good caramel takes patience.
⏱ 8 min
Once the caramel reaches that perfect amber hue, immediately remove it from heat and whisk in the butter pieces. The mixture will bubble furiously at first — this is normal. Keep whisking until silky smooth.
Gradually stream in the cream while whisking constantly, then add the whiskey and salt. The sauce should be glossy and pourable. If it seems too thick, whisk in another tablespoon of cream.
Serve squares of the warm bread pudding with the whiskey caramel sauce generously spooned over top. The contrast between the soft, custardy interior and that boozy, buttery sauce is what dreams are made of.