Babka Bread Pudding with Brown Butter Bourbon Sauce

4.89 from 27 votes

Babka Bread Pudding with Brown Butter Bourbon Sauce

This rustic bread pudding uses leftover babka bread and simple pantry ingredients to make a dreamy, decadent dessert that is perfect for the holidays! The brown butter bourbon sauce is creamy, sumptuous, and makes you want to pour the entire pitcher on, it's so good!

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Soak Time30

Total Time1 30

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: European

Servings: servings

Calories: 296kcal

Author: Eden Westbrook

Ingredients

Bread Pudding

1 large cinnamon babka loaf cut into 1-inch cubes
2 ½ cups whole milk
6 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Brown Butter Bourbon Sauce

2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
½ light brown sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup bourbon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly butter your baking dish.
Add the babka bread cubes to your 10-inch cast-iron skillet.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, unsalted butter, kosher salt, and vanilla extract until well combined. Pour most of the custard, about ¾ of the entire thing, evenly over the bread cubes.
Let the bread soak in the custard for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Pour on the reserved custard to moisten any dry pieces of bread on top.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes. The bread pudding will be done when a butter knife or cake test inserted in it comes out clean.
Brown Butter Bourbon Sauce
Melt butter in a stainless steel or light-colored medium-sized saucepan. Stir the butter around constantly, and in about 3 to 5 minutes the butter will begin to smell toasted and nutty and the milk solids will have turned a golden brown.
Whisk in flour and whisk constantly for one minute to cook out raw flour taste and ensure nothing sticks to the bottom on the pan.
Splash in a small amount of milk at a time, about ¼ cup, whisking after each addition until the milk is absorbed into the flour. It will be a thick, clumpy goop at first, and that's how you know you're doing it right. Keep adding the milk, whisking constantly, until all the milk is added and the consistency is smooth.
Mix in the brown sugar and kosher salt. Let cook, stirring occasionally so the bottom doesn't burn, until the sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and add your bourbon and vanilla extract. Pour over the bread pudding while warm.
Keep the bread pudding in an air-tight container or wrapped well with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Notes

Smooth and Creamy Sauce

Flour can be missed and clump up in your sauce. My tip: pour the brown butter bourbon sauce through a fine-mesh sieve to catch any lumps of flour in your sauce.

Freezing Bread Pudding

Do not pour the brown butter bourbon sauce onto the bread pudding; you can do this once you’re ready to serve. When the bread pudding is cooled completely, cut the bread pudding into single-serving portions.

Wrap each portion of bread pudding in plastic wrap completely, then wrap in a layer of aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. It keeps in the freezer for up to 4 months.

To thaw, take the bread pudding portions out of the freezer and thaw in the fridge overnight.

To reheat, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and put the bread pudding on a baking sheet. Pour the sauce over the bread generously and bake for 10 to 20 minutes or until fully warmed through. If for some reason the custard of the bread pudding has dried out while thawing, try adding a splash of milk or heavy cream to the pudding before reheating,

Helpful Tips

The more soaking time you can give your bread, the better! You can even do it overnight and bake the next day.
As long as your bread doesn't have mold, it can be used for bread pudding. Too stale doesn't exist for bread pudding!
You can add nuts, raisins, craisins, chocolate chips, marshmallows, etc. to your bread pudding. Adding a ¼ cup of bourbon into your custard isn't a bad idea at all, either!

Nutrition