Sticky Toffee Pudding and Bread Pudding come together in one of the most comforting and decadent desserts you won't be able to stop eating: Sticky Toffee Bread Pudding. Bread is soaked in a rich custard sweetened with dates (just like classic sticky toffee pudding), baked until golden, then drenched in a buttery toffee sauce and served hot with vanilla ice cream. The texture is soft, custardy and caramel-y at once, and the flavor is beautifully balanced and not too sweet. It is also incredibly simple to make!
I was inspired to create this recipe by my favorite Easy Vanilla Bread Pudding, which is one of my all time favorites. But I have to say, the sticky toffee pudding touch makes this one a whole lot better. I'm not exaggerating when I say my friends and I ate half of it straight from the pan while standing at the kitchen island!
Video tutorial
Here's a detailed video tutorial for this recipe so you can see it in action:
3 simple components of this bread pudding
3 simple components are needed to make this sticky toffee bread pudding:
- The bread. You can use any kind of bread you like, including stale bread! I personally think bread pudding is best made with a soft and fluffy bread like brioche or - my personal favorite - King's Hawaiian bread. For this bread pudding, I used King's Hawaiian round bread and cut it into big cubes
- Custard. We soak the bread in a simple custard made with dates, milk, cream, butter, eggs, and a touch of sugar that comes together in a blender. You don't actually need to cook or thicken it - just bring together the ingredients, and the cooking happens in the oven!
- Toffee sauce. Lastly, we make a very easy toffee sauce with butter, brown sugar, and cream. Pour this on top of the bread pudding, just like a sticky toffee pudding, for an extra touch of warmth and caramel-y goodness!
Although optional, I HIGHLY recommend serving this bread pudding with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! The warm pudding and cold ice cream pair together beautifully. My poersonal favorite is Tillamook.
A few quick tips
- Use good quality medjool dates! My personal favorite are the Natural Delights dates that are available at Amazon or Whole Foods
- Press in the bread cubes and make sure there aren't any large gaps. Otherwise, you will have big chunks of baked custard that don't have the best texture!
- Make sure all the bread chunks are thoroughly soaked! Press in the pieces on top so they soak the custard and aren't dry
- Don't overbake the pudding! It will be quite jiggly and puffy when it comes out of the oven, but will settle within a few minutes. A toothpick test is best - if it comes out with just a few crumbs on it and no wet custard, the pudding is ready. Overbaking it can make it curdled
- Don't rush cooking the sauce. Low and slow for a good 8-10 minutes will get it to the right texture and degree of caramelization
- Serve it hot! It's best when it's warm, but it also reheats really well
My Favorite Sticky Toffee Bread Pudding Recipe
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 servings
Description
Delicious, warm and comforting Sticky Toffee Bread Pudding made with a date-sweetened custard and a buttery toffee sauce!
Ingredients
Bread pudding:
- 16oz King's Hawaiian Hawaiian Sweet Round Bread, cut into 1" cubes (or use brioche bread or similar bread of the same quantity; bread can be stale / dried out overnight or fresh)
- 6 oz pitted medjool dates (about 10 dates)
- 1 ⅔ cup whole milk (400g)
- ⅔ cup heavy cream (160g)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (30 g)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp brown sugar (25g)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ tsp salt
Toffee Sauce:
- 1 cup heavy cream (240g)
- ½ cup unsalted butter (113g)
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed (150g)
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350F (conventional) and brush a 7x11" casserole dish with butter
- Cut the bread into 1" cubes if you haven't already, and arrange them in the casserole dish. Try not to have any large gaps, and press the bread chunks down slightly
- To make the custard, chop the dates into small chunks and place them in a blender. Add the milk and cream to a saucepan, and cook on low heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Pour over the dates in the blender, cover and rest for 5 minutes. Then blend until smooth
- To the same blender, add the melted butter, eggs, egg yolks, brown sugar, vanilla and salt. Blend on low for just a few seconds until the ingredients are combined
- Pour the custard over the bread in the casserole dish, making sure every chunk is soaked. If needed, press down on the bread again or tilt the dish in different directions to ensure everything is soaked
- Place the dish in the pre-heated oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the pudding looks set on the edges but jiggly in the middle. If you insert a toothpick in the middle, it should have moist crumbs but not wet custard. Avoid overbaking as it can give bread pudding a curdled texture
- While the bread pudding is baking, make the toffee sauce. Add all the ingredients (heavy cream, butter, brown sugar, salt and vanilla) to a saucepan, and place on the stove on low heat. Keep cooking and stirring for about 8-10 minutes. First the butter will melt and the ingredients will come together, then the sauce will start to simmer at thicken. At the end it should be a deep golden color but still fairly runny - it will thicken as it cools
- Once the bread pudding is baked, rest it for 2 minutes at room temperature. Then poke holes in it using a skewer, and pour over half of the toffee sauce. Let it absorb for 5-10 minutes
- Slice the bread putting into slices, and serve each slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some more toffee sauce poured on top. Enjoy hot!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Jammy says
What can be replacement for eggs?
Kasandra says
Sooo yummy! I have never made bread pudding before. I have found it hard to find a really good bread pudding dinning out. But, my husband loves bread pudding so I decided to try this recipe. It’s amazing! 10 out of 10.
I would add a picture of my end product because it looks as good as it tastes but there’s not an option for a photo.
Yumna Sikander says
Making it for the second time as everyone loved it. Finger licking good! The recipe is so well explained and easy to follow! Thanks alot zoha!
Samira Shahid says
Can we make it a day in advance for a party? if yes then how to reheat
Areeba says
very accurate measurements and details. and very yummmyyy pudding