Hamdi Saidani Ree Drummond’s cinnamon bread pudding soaks sourdough cubes in a vanilla custard, tops everything with a buttery cinnamon-brown sugar crumble, and bakes at 325F until the crust is golden and the center is soft, about an hour total.
This combines two recipes from thepioneerwoman.com: Ree’s classic Bread Pudding, which uses sourdough cubes baked at 325F with two full tablespoons of vanilla, and her Cinnamon Baked French Toast, where she tops a similar custard-soaked bread with a cinnamon crumb mixture and says baking it 45 minutes gives a “softer, more bread pudding-like texture.”
Arranging the sourdough cubes with the crusts facing up is the technique that makes this work. Ree is specific about this in her bread pudding because the exposed crusts turn crispy and golden during baking, which gives you that contrast against the soft custard-soaked bread underneath. Without it, you get a one-texture dish with no crunch.
Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Bread Pudding
Description
Crusty sourdough cubes soaked in a rich vanilla custard, scattered with chopped pecans, and finished with a cinnamon-brown sugar crumble that bakes into a crispy, buttery shell. Assemble the night before and bake it off for brunch.
Ingredients
Bread pudding:
Cinnamon crumb topping:
Whiskey cream sauce (optional):
Instructions
- Cut the bread. Slice the sourdough into 1-inch slices, stack a few together, then cut into 1-inch cubes. You want 3 1/2 to 5 cups total.
- Arrange the cubes. Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish. Pack the sourdough cubes snugly into the dish with the crusts facing up around the edges and scattered throughout the middle. No large gaps between cubes.
- Build the custard. Beat together the eggs, melted butter, vanilla, and milk in a large bowl. Add the sugar and whisk until dissolved. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread cubes so everything is saturated.
- Soak the bread. Cover tightly and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. The bread will look like it’s drowning, but it absorbs the custard as it sits.
- Make the crumb topping. Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg in a bowl. Add the cold butter pieces and cut them in with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store in a zip-top bag in the fridge until ready to bake.
- Top and bake. Preheat the oven to 325F (165C). Remove the dish from the fridge, sprinkle the chopped pecans over the bread, then scatter the crumb topping evenly across the surface. Bake for 55 to 70 minutes, until the crust is golden brown all over the top and the center is set but still soft.
- Make the whiskey cream sauce (optional). While the pudding bakes, combine the sugar, butter, heavy cream, and Jack Daniel’s in a saucepan. Stir constantly over low heat until the mixture reaches a low boil. Remove from heat.
- Rest and serve. Let the pudding sit for 10 minutes after baking. Scoop individual portions and spoon a small amount of whiskey cream sauce over each serving.
Notes
- Skip the whiskey sauce for a brunch crowd and drizzle with maple syrup instead.
- Omit the pecans for nut allergies. The crumb topping provides plenty of crunch on its own.
- For a softer, more bread pudding-like texture, pull it at 55 minutes. For a firmer, crispier result, push closer to 70.
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat at 300F (150C) for 10-15 minutes. The crumb topping loses some crunch after the first day.
FAQs
Why does Ree use sourdough bread instead of white bread or brioche?
Ree says in her bread pudding recipe that sourdough gives the dish structure and integrity. The crusts turn crispy during baking while the inside stays soft, so you get two textures in every bite instead of the mushy, one-note result you get from soft white sandwich bread.
Day-old sourdough works even better because it’s drier and absorbs more custard without falling apart. Ree makes the same point about her Cinnamon Baked French Toast, where she says crusty bread is the second most important component after the custard itself.
Why two full tablespoons of vanilla instead of the usual teaspoon?
Most bread pudding recipes call for 1 to 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Ree uses two tablespoons in her original bread pudding, which is six times the standard amount. That much vanilla becomes a flavor you actually taste rather than just a background note.
The heavy vanilla pairs with the cinnamon crumb topping so neither flavor drowns the other out. If you drop to one teaspoon, the cinnamon will dominate and the custard will taste flat on its own.
Can you assemble this the night before?
Yes, and it works better that way. Ree designs her Cinnamon Baked French Toast specifically as a make-ahead recipe where you soak the bread overnight, refrigerate the crumb topping separately, then combine and bake the next morning.
Keep the crumb topping in its zip-top bag in the fridge until right before baking. If you add it the night before, it absorbs moisture from the custard and bakes up dense instead of crumbly. Cold topping on wet bread is what gives you that contrast.
What is the difference between baking for 55 minutes versus 70 minutes?
Ree explains this in her Cinnamon Baked French Toast: shorter baking gives you a softer, more bread pudding-like texture, while longer baking makes it firmer and crispier. The same logic applies here because both recipes use the same custard-soaked-bread method.
Pull it at 55 minutes if you want the center to be soft and custardy. Go to 70 if you want crispy edges all the way around and a drier bite. Either way, the top should be golden brown before you take it out.
Can you skip the whiskey cream sauce?
The pudding stands on its own without the sauce, especially with the cinnamon crumb topping adding richness. For a brunch crowd or anyone avoiding alcohol, maple syrup drizzled over each serving works just as well and plays nicely with the cinnamon.
If you do make the sauce, Ree says to pour just a small amount over each individual serving rather than drenching the whole dish. A little goes a long way because the butter and cream are already rich, and too much turns the crispy crust soggy.
