This is my second favourite Christmas dessert, behind Trifle, and it is definitely the easiest one that I make. To be honest it is hardly a recipe it is so damn easy. If your kids know how to crack eggs and stir then they could almost do it themselves. If they are allowed to use a knife to slice bread then go lay down for 15 minutes and let them put this dessert together.
This recipe is sort of from my Aunt Val. Years ago Uncle Norm and Aunt Val went to my parents house for dinner and she brought this as the dessert. I wasn’t there so I may be way off and maybe my Aunt Milli brought it, but whatever. It was sitting on the stove when I got home from wherever I was so I had some. From then on I have been making it. I knew the two main ingredients were cinnamon raisin bread and eggnog and just went from there.
During your pre-Christmas dinner grocery shop, pick up some thick cut cinnamon raisin bread, and some eggnog. You will likely have the rest of the ingredients at home. Keep in mind that you need 6 eggs (3 whole and 3 yolks) for this and plan accordingly.
I used to buy dulce do leche but President’s Choice has discontinued the product so I hit the interwebs and found some great sites on how to make your own from sweetened condensed milk. This recipe that I found for Slow Cooker Dulce de Leche is the most detailed. I plan on making more this weekend so it will make a nice Christmas gift.
For many this bread pudding might be too soft. If you prefer a stiffer pudding, then reduce the eggnog by about a quarter cup to a half a cup and add an extra egg. If you have leftovers the pudding does stiffen up as it cools. In the picture this is pretty much right out of the oven which is how I serve it. You can put it in the oven when you sit down to Christmas dinner and it will be ready to serve when you finish making the coffee.
I have a confession. I ate the whole dish of the bread pudding that I made for this blog post. Simon can’t eat bread and Timothy didn’t like it (weirdo). I didn’t eat it in one sitting; it was over the course of 3 days which does make it slightly less gluttonous. This means that I ate about 2/3 of a cup of dulce de leche too. In case you are wondering, Eggnog Bread Pudding makes for a kick-ass breakfast and lunch. Go ahead, judge me. I don’t care. I didn’t even get sick of it and I will be making more on Christmas Day. I will share that one though, begrudgingly.
Merry Christmas my friends.
Eggnog Bread Pudding with Dulce de Leche
Ingredients
- 1 litre eggnog 4 cups
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 whole eggs
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp bourbon optional
- 1/4 tsp fresh nutmeg
- 10 slices thick cut cinnamon raisin bread 2.5 cm / 3/4 inch
- 1 cup dulce de leche to serve*
Instructions
- Butter a medium stoneware baking dish (I use one that is 10"x10" and 3" deep).
- In a large bowl mix the eggnog with the brown sugar, egg yolks and whole eggs until sugar and eggs are well incorporated with the eggnog.
- Mix in vanilla, nutmeg and bourbon (if using).
- Cut raisin bread into chunks by slicing bread into four strips and then cut the strips 3 more times to create rough cubes of bread.
- Put the bread in the baking dish and slowly pour the custard mixture over the bread.
- Press the bread down to absorb the custard. Cover with plastic wrap and press down again to make sure each piece of bread absorbs some custard. Let it sit in the fridge for 20 minutes or several hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes. The bread pudding with be golden on top and it will souffle up in the last 5 minutes or so of baking. It will be quite soft in the middle but shouldn't be excessively runny. If it is then bake it for another 5 minutes.
- When done, let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve warm with a generous dollop of dulce de leche.
Beryl says
i made this for the first time this Christmas. Totally decadent! I found a Challa(egg bread) with raisins at a supermarket. I used brandy. I don’t think the booze matters as long as it’s there. I put Devon custard on top. I wish I had seen your recipe first. I will make it again for New Years using your recipe.
Christina says
Thanks Beryl! I’m a big fan of custard and I think it would be a great topping for this. I agree that whichever kind of booze works well – rum, brandy, bourbon are all good options. I hope it turns out well on New Years 🙂