Cranberry Walnut Bread Pudding With Orange Bourbon Sauce
This Cranberry Walnut Bread Pudding starts with homemade cranberry walnut bread soaked in a rich vanilla custard, then baked until golden brown. Extra cranberries and walnuts go into the pudding, and a warm orange bourbon sauce finishes each serving.
It’s a simple way to turn a loaf of homemade bread into a perfect dessert for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or a weekend dinner with family.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
We already love our bread pudding with bourbon sauce, so that’s where we started with this recipe. We used our cranberry walnut bread, replaced some of the granulated sugar with dark brown sugar, and added orange zest and juice to the sauce. Those few changes give it its own flavor while keeping the custard base we love.
Easy to prepare ahead. Assemble the pudding the night before and bake it the next day.
Soft center and golden edges. The bread soaks overnight so the custard has time to work its way through the chunks.
Cranberries and walnuts throughout. There are some baked into the bread, plus a little extra added to the pudding.
Orange bourbon sauce. Butter, dark brown sugar, bourbon, and fresh orange make a warm sauce to spoon over each serving.
Ingredients Needed
For the Bread Pudding
- Cranberry walnut bread: Our homemade yeast bread provides the base, along with dried cranberries and chopped walnuts already baked into the loaf. Use bread that has been dried or allowed to become stale.
- Eggs: Set the custard and help the pudding hold together when sliced.
- Whole milk and heavy whipping cream: Soak into the bread and give the pudding its rich, soft texture.
- Granulated sugar and dark brown sugar: Sweeten the custard, with the brown sugar adding a little molasses flavor.
- Vanilla extract: Flavors the custard.
- Ground cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg: Add warm spice without overwhelming the cranberries and orange.
- Kosher salt: Balances the sweetness.
- Dried cranberries: Add more cranberry flavor throughout the pudding.
- Chopped walnuts: Give the soft pudding some texture.
For the Orange Bourbon Sauce
- Unsalted butter: Forms the rich, buttery base.
- Dark brown sugar: Sweetens the sauce and adds a deeper flavor.
- Heavy whipping cream: Helps create a smooth sauce.
- Bourbon: Adds flavor that works well with the brown sugar and walnuts. Use one you enjoy.
- Orange zest and fresh orange juice: Give the sauce its orange flavor. Finely grate only the colored peel, avoiding the bitter white pith.
- Kosher salt: Balances the butter and sugar.
How To Make Cranberry Walnut Bread Pudding
Prepare the Bread
Cut the cranberry walnut bread into approximately 1-inch chunks. Spread them out and allow them to dry overnight.
If the bread is fresh, spread the chunks on a baking sheet and dry them in a 300°F oven for about 15–20 minutes. Let them cool before adding the custard.
Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Mix the Custard
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until blended. Add the whole milk, heavy cream, granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
Combine and Refrigerate
Whisk thoroughly, breaking up any brown sugar lumps. Place the bread chunks in a very large bowl with the additional dried cranberries and chopped walnuts.
Pour the custard over the bread and gently stir to coat. Let sit for about 10 minutes to allow the bread to absorb some of the custard mixture.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish, distributing the cranberries and walnuts evenly. Press the bread down lightly for a more uniform pudding, or leave a few edges sticking up for a crisper top. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Bake
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Uncover the bread pudding and bake for 1–1½ hours, until puffed, golden brown, and set in the center. The internal temperature should reach 160–165°F.
Begin checking at 1 hour. If the top is getting too brown before the center is done, loosely cover it with foil.
Let the pudding rest for 15–20 minutes before serving. It will settle slightly as it cools.
Make the Orange Bourbon Sauce
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the dark brown sugar, heavy cream, bourbon, orange zest, orange juice, and a pinch of salt.
Simmer, whisking often, until thickened, about 3–5 minutes. Let cool slightly, then spoon the warm sauce over individual servings.
The sauce makes approximately 1¼ cups.
Serve And Enjoy
Serve it warm with a generous spoonful of orange bourbon sauce and dig in. The soft custard-soaked bread, tart cranberries, and walnuts are good on their own, but that buttery brown sugar sauce with the bourbon and orange takes it over the top. We loved our original bread pudding, but this one gives it some serious competition.
Using Other Breads
Our homemade Italian bread would be a good choice for this, along with French bread, brioche, or challah. Use 1 pound of bread, cut into 1-inch chunks and dried before adding the custard. If your bread doesn’t already contain cranberries and walnuts, use 1 cup dried cranberries and 1 cup chopped walnuts in place of the additional ½ cup of each listed in the recipe. Keep the custard, overnight soak, and orange bourbon sauce the same.
Tips
- Dry the bread first. This helps it absorb the custard.
- Give it time to soak. We prefer refrigerating the assembled pudding overnight.
- Distribute the additions evenly. Check that the extra cranberries and walnuts aren’t concentrated in one part of the dish.
- Check the center. A browned top alone doesn’t tell you whether the custard is set.
- Serve the sauce separately. Everyone can add as much as they like, and leftover pudding is easier to reheat.
- Gently warm leftover sauce. It thickens as it cools. Whisk while reheating, adding a small splash of cream if needed.
Variations
- Use pecans: Substitute chopped pecans for the additional walnuts. The walnuts baked into the bread will still be present.
- Add orange to the custard: For more orange flavor, try adding a teaspoon of finely grated orange zest to the custard.
- Serve without the sauce: Offer whipped cream or vanilla ice cream instead. Powdered sugar over the top is kinda fun, too!
FAQs
Yes. Assemble the bread pudding, cover, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking. You can also make the sauce ahead and gently reheat it before serving.
We add an additional ½ cup of each. The whole loaf already contains ½ cup dried cranberries and ½ cup chopped walnuts, so the finished pudding contains about 1 cup of each.
Yes. Choose a yeast bread with a similar texture to our homemade loaf and measure approximately 10 cups of 1-inch chunks. The amount of fruit and nuts will vary, so adjust the additional cranberries and walnuts to suit the bread.
The pudding should be puffed and golden, with the custard set in the center. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 160–165°F.
Let the pudding cool, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Store the sauce separately in a covered container in the refrigerator.
Reheat individual servings in the microwave until warmed through. For a larger portion, cover with foil and warm in a 350°F oven. Gently reheat the sauce separately, whisking until smooth.
Yes. Wrap the cooled pudding without the sauce tightly and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. For the best texture, make the sauce fresh.
Other Delicious Bread Recipes
Cranberry Walnut Bread Pudding Recipe
Ingredients
Cranberry Walnut Bread Pudding
- 1 lb cranberry walnut bread loaf 1 – 1 1/2 lb loaf. Approximately 10 cups, cut into 1-inch chunks, dried or stale
- 8 large eggs
- 3½ cups whole milk
- 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup dried cranberries in addition to those in the bread
- ½ cup chopped walnuts in addition to those in the bread
- Butter for greasing the baking dish
Orange Bourbon Sauce
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup good-quality bourbon
- 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- 1 pinch kosher salt
Instructions
- Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish. Place the dried bread chunks, additional cranberries, and chopped walnuts in a very large mixing bowl.Butter
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the milk, cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk until thoroughly combined.8 large eggs, 3½ cups whole milk, 1½ cups heavy whipping cream, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup packed dark brown sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Pour the custard over the bread and gently stir to coat. Let the bread soak for 10 minutes. Transfer to the prepared baking dish, spreading the cranberries and walnuts evenly throughout. Press the bread down lightly.1 lb cranberry walnut bread loaf, ½ cup dried cranberries, ½ cup chopped walnuts
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Uncover and bake for 1–1½ hours, until puffed, golden brown, and set in the center, with an internal temperature of 160–165°F. Begin checking at 1 hour and loosely tent with foil if needed to prevent excessive browning.
- Let rest for 15–20 minutes before serving.
- For the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar, cream, bourbon, orange zest, orange juice, and salt. Simmer, whisking often, until thickened, about 3–5 minutes.½ cup unsalted butter, ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar, ¼ cup heavy whipping cream, ¼ cup good-quality bourbon, 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest, 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice, 1 pinch kosher salt
- Cool the sauce slightly and spoon over individual servings.