Grandma’s Old Fashioned Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce

Method — Vanilla Sauce

1. Warm the dairy. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine cream, milk, and half the sugar (reserve the rest for the yolks). Stir and warm until steam rises and the edges begin to shimmer — do not boil.
2. Whisk yolks + sugar. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until pale and slightly thickened.
3. Temper the yolks. Slowly pour about 1/3 cup of the hot milk mixture into the yolks while whisking constantly to raise their temperature. Continue adding hot milk in a thin stream until about half the hot mixture has been incorporated. (This prevents the yolks from scrambling.)
4. Cook gently. Pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk mixture and cook over low to medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heat-proof spatula, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon (or reaches about 170–175°F / 77–79°C on a thermometer). Do not let it boil — sudden high heat will curdle the custard.
5. Finish. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and butter if using, and strain through a fine sieve for the silkiest finish. Serve warm over the pudding, or cool and refrigerate (reheat gently before using).

How to serve

• Spoon warm vanilla sauce over slices of pudding, or serve slices with sauce on the side so guests can add as much as they like.
• A scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream is delightful on top for extra indulgence.
• Garnish with toasted nuts, a grating of nutmeg, or more citrus zest.

Tips, tweaks & troubleshooting

• Best bread: Brioche or challah gives the richest result; French or sandwich bread works very well and is economical. Croissants or sweet rolls make an ultra-rich version.
• Too soggy? If your pudding is soupy after baking, it either had too much custard or didn’t bake long enough. Return to oven for 10–15 minutes. If you used a water bath, remove and let the top brown a bit uncovered.
• Too dry? Use a richer milk/cream ratio or cover loosely with foil while baking so the surface doesn’t dry. Also pressing the bread down firmly during soak helps even absorption.
• Make-ahead: Assemble and soak in the dish, then cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake the next day (add 5–10 minutes to the bake time if cold from fridge).
• Storage: Keep leftover pudding covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a low oven (300°F / 150°C) for 10–15 minutes or microwave individual portions briefly. Sauce keeps 3–4 days refrigerated; reheat gently and stir before serving.

Flavor variations

• Stir in 1–2 tsp bourbon or dark rum to the custard for a grown-up note.
• Add sliced apples, pears, or caramelized bananas to the base for fruitier versions.
• Swap spices: use 1/2 tsp ground cardamom and 1/4 tsp nutmeg instead of cinnamon for a different aromatic profile.
• Add a streusel topping (butter, flour, brown sugar, oats) for a crunchy contrast.

Final note

This is the kind of dessert that’s more forgiving than it looks — a little more soak, a little less sugar, a different bread — it nearly always turns into something warm and memorable. Channel Grandma’s instincts: don’t be afraid to taste the custard, give the raisins a soak if they seem timid, and serve big, generous slices. Enjoy — and expect requests for the recipe.