Description
This Cranberry Bread Pudding is a comforting and festive dessert featuring tender chunks of challah or brioche bread soaked in a rich custard flavored with warm spices and orange zest, studded with tart frozen cranberries, and topped with a luscious orange-Grand Marnier icing. Perfect for holiday gatherings or a cozy after-dinner treat.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Bread Pudding
- 1 lb. loaf challah or brioche bread, cut into 1" cubes (about 10 cups)
- 2 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2/3 cup (145 g) packed dark brown sugar
- Zest of 1/2 navel orange
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 1/4 cups frozen cranberries
Icing
- 1 cup (115 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- Zest of 1/2 navel orange
- 2 Tbsp Grand Marnier or orange juice
Instructions
- Dry the Bread: Preheat your oven to 200ºF. Arrange the cubed bread in a single layer between two rimmed baking sheets. Bake for about 20 minutes, turning the sheets halfway through to ensure even drying. Once done, let the bread cool completely.
- Prepare the Custard and Soak Bread: In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, dark brown sugar, orange zest, almond extract, ground cloves, kosher salt, and nutmeg until well combined. Gradually whisk in the heavy cream and whole milk. Add the dried bread cubes to the custard mixture, tossing gently to coat. Press down on the bread with a spoon to submerge it fully. Allow the mixture to sit for 15 minutes so the bread absorbs the custard.
- Add Cranberries and Bake: Stir frozen cranberries into the soaked bread mixture. Transfer everything into a 13″x9″ baking dish, spreading evenly. Bake in the oven at 325ºF (adjusted based on typical bread pudding baking temperature) for 45 to 50 minutes until the pudding is set and golden on top.
- Cool the Pudding: Remove the baking dish from the oven and place it on a wire rack. Let the bread pudding cool until it is just slightly warm, about 40 minutes, to allow flavors to meld and ease serving.
- Make the Icing: In a medium bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar, melted unsalted butter, orange zest, and Grand Marnier (or orange juice) until the mixture is smooth and pourable.
- Serve: Drizzle the icing generously over the warm bread pudding before serving to add a sweet and tangy finish.
Notes
- For best texture, use day-old challah or brioche bread to absorb custard well without becoming mushy.
- If Grand Marnier is not available, substitute with fresh orange juice to keep the citrus flavor.
- Adjust baking temperature to around 325ºF if the original oven temperature was for drying only.
- Allow the bread pudding to cool slightly before adding icing to prevent it from melting too much.
- Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; reheat gently before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/8 of the recipe)
- Calories: 410
- Sugar: 28g
- Sodium: 250mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 13g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0.3g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 8g
- Cholesterol: 210mg
