Buttery Brioche Bread Pudding with Decadent Salty Caramel Sauce in 1 hour 20 Minutes
Brioche bread pudding is one of the easiest and yet coziest desserts someone can prepare.
It has a rich texture and is perfect to cook for even the laziest of us. The best part when cooking recipes with brioche bread is that you don’t even need to serve it as a dessert. It works just well for breakfast too. Next time you are enjoying a lazy Sunday in bed and your taste buds would be delighted to taste something sweet, go to the brioche puddings recipe. The soft-centered yet crispy-edged custard will never disappoint anyone.
Recipes with brioche bread in general, brioche and butter puddings in particular, are basic desserts easy to put together and don’t require much effort for their preparation. Every person in the house will definitely love them.
What could go wrong when combining brioche bread, eggs, sugar, sour cream and sugar?
Above all, topping all these ingredients combined with homemade salted caramel sauce will bring the pudding close to Heaven.
What is brioche bread?
In case you wonder, brioche bread is a sweet bread widespread in France. Both children and adults adore it. It can be consumed at breakfast, used for sandwiches or enjoyed for the afternoon tea. The ingredients used (flour, milk, eggs and butter) make it a cheap product affordable for everyone. However, bakers can turn it into a refined feast when using quality ingredients such a high-class type of butter. The kneading process is also extremely important because it gives the final texture of the crumb. Brioche bread is also subject to various toppings and aromas which can bring a grade of sophistication to this goodie.
Origins of brioche bread
Just as for many other traditional foods, the origins of brioche bread are not very clear and date back in history. There are many explanations for the root of the word, but the most frequently accepted is that the term “brioche” comes from the verb “brier”, the ancestor of “broyer” from normand old language which means “to grind”. “Broyer” was used to describe the process of kneading the dough with a wooden roll. It also gives the name of a normand specialty bread, “pain brie.”
It is said that brioche originated in the North-West of France, Normandy, sometimes in the Middle Ages. The region was famous for the fineness of the butter produced. Therefore, this new bread became famous in the cities of Gournay and Gisors, well-known for the brioches they sold.
There is a story published by Jean-Jacques Rousseau in 1778, in his “The Confessions” which informs that Queen Marie Antoinette advised the peasants to eat brioche if they were poor and couldn’t afford bread. This situation is unlikely to have happened because Marie Antoinette was just a child at the moment. Nonetheless, this was a crucial moment in brioche’s road to fame.
In the eighteenth century, brioche became a staple of each bakery all over France. All the regions adopted it and developed various recipe starting from the classical one in Normandy. If today people eat it every day, back then it was an important part of religious events as baptisms, communions, weddings.
Even nowadays it is part of many traditions, one of them being “Galette des rois”, celebrating Epiphany, the day the Three Kings (Les Rois) visited baby Jesus. It is celebrated in January in France. People bake a brioche shaped as a crown. They hide a bean inside of it. The guest who finds the bean becomes the queen or king.
Types of brioches
These goodies must be soft, fluffy and sweet. They bring a feeling of comfort and warmth due to their golden color and the texture that make mouths water.
The most common types of brioches are:
Ingredients for brioche puddings recipe
Among the recipes with brioche bread this brioche dessert recipe is pretty easy to make.
Here are the ingredients you will need:
For the pudding
For the caramel sauce for bread pudding
How to make brioche bread pudding
There are a few steps in you need to follow in order to get the best brioche dessert recipe.
How to serve brioche bread and butter pudding?
Besides from the caramel sauce for bread pudding which makes it a decadent treat, this dessert can also be topped with a variety of berries, chocolate chips or even caramelized nuts. A wonderful idea would be to add just a dollop of vanilla ice cream to make it even more decadent if that is possible.
It is called “dessert” but I guess nobody would mind if you serve it for breakfast or as a snack for the afternoon tea.
How to store brioche bread pudding?
Let the pudding cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. It stores well in the refrigerator for up to five days. It also tastes great chilled, but there is still the option of warming before serving.
In case you want to consider freezing, I must tell you that this isn’t such a great idea. When thawed, the brioche and butter pudding loses its texture and becomes mushy. So try to make just the quantity you will serve.
How many calories in brioche bread and butter pudding?
There approximately 400-450 calories in this dessert. These figures are normal considering the ingredients used, like butter and heavy cream. It is then advisable to eat only one portion even if the temptation to eat all the pudding is high. I can completely understand and relate to it.
If you want a less calorie recipe, try our eggless banana bread recipe or 4-banana bread recipe. This dessert also pairs well with fluffy french toast or homemade cream cheese cookies.
Equipment
- Bowl
Ingredients
For the pudding
- 1.25 lb. brioche bread a day old, cut into cubes
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 6 tbsp butter
- 5 eggs, slightly beaten
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- Pinch of cardamom
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the caramel sauce
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp sea salt
- Powdered sugar, to garnish
Instructions
- Grease a baking dish with a bit of butter.
- Cut the bread into cubes or simply tear it. Place it on the bottom of the dish.
- Whisk together the eggs and sugar to start creating the marinade for the bread. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and vanilla. Also stir in a pinch of salt. Whisk well and add the milk and heavy cream. When everything is well-combined, pour the marinade over the bread.
- Melt the butter and let it cool a bit. Add it to the soaked bread and toss gently to cover all the pieces.
- Cover the dish with aluminum or plastic foil and take it to the fridge. Keep it there for at least 50 minutes or even overnight. The longer the ingredients stick together, the better flavors will combine.
- Preheat the oven to 375F and take the dish out of the fridge twenty minutes in advance of the baking process.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 15 additional minutes until the pudding gets golden-brown.
- Take it out of the oven, let it chill a bit and decorate with powdered sugar.
- Meanwhile, prepare the salted caramel sauce. Melt the butter over low heat and remove from the stove. Add the brown sugar and stir until completely melted. Bring in the heavy cream and salt. Whisk again to make a smooth sauce.
- Pour over the brioche bread pudding and serve warm.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- If you want to prepare the salted caramel bread pudding in individual ramekins, just cut the bread in smaller cubes and prepare the mixture all together in a large bowl. Transfer to ramekins before refrigerating. Cover the ramekins with aluminum foil before baking. Cook covered for 15 minutes, remove the foil and cook for 5 additional minutes. Cutting down the baking time ensures the small puddings won’t get burnt.
- For a fresher taste, add berries on top after the pudding has cooled a bit. If you want to incorporate the fruits directly into the dessert, fold them in gently after taking the baking dish out of the fridge. You may use raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries. Even some peach slices will work wonderfully to bring a fruity flavor. To make the brioche dessert recipe taste even better, add a dollop of vanilla ice cream and finish with a few small mint leaves. You will get a cozy treat seasoned with salted caramel ice cream. What more could someone ask for?
- In case you want an authentic homemade dessert, I strongly advise you to make your own brioche bread because no bread in the world will taste like the one you prepare with your own hands.
