This classic cinnamon raisin bread pudding brings together cubed stale challah bread, a rich custard of eggs, whole milk, and heavy cream, and raisins simmered with butter and cinnamon. A sweet cinnamon glaze is whisked together and poured over the top before serving.
With 20 minutes of prep time and just over an hour in the oven, this baked dessert yields 12 servings in a standard 9×13-inch baking dish.
Uses a full loaf of stale challah bread cut into cubes to soak up the custard.
Plumping the raisins in boiling water, butter, and cinnamon infuses them before they are stirred into the mixture.
Bakes covered for 50 minutes and uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes in a single 9×13 baking dish.
Finished with a homemade glaze made from powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon.
Why This Recipe Works
Boiling the raisins with water, butter, and cinnamon allows them to absorb liquid and double in size before joining the custard base. Whisking eggs, heavy cream, whole milk, vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon creates the liquid base, which is absorbed by the cubed challah during a 10-minute resting period. Baking covered with foil keeps the dish cooking evenly for the first 50 minutes, and removing the foil for the final 10 to 15 minutes finishes the bake before the glaze is applied.
Ingredients for Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding
1 loaf stale challah bread, cubed
5 eggs
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ cup white sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup raisins
1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoon milk
½ teaspoon cinnamon
How to Make It: Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9×13 baking dish.
Add the raisins, water, butter, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon to a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring mixture to a boil and continue cooking until the raisins plump up and about double in size, then remove from heat.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, vanilla, sugar, and 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Add the raisin mixture including the water.
Stir the cubed bread into the egg mixture until fully combined. Let the liquid absorb for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and cover with foil.
Bake for 50 minutes then remove foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.
For glaze: whisk together all ingredients and pour over the pudding before serving.
Helpful Tips
Keep the cooking water from the raisin saucepan, as the recipe directs adding the raisin mixture along with its water directly into the egg mixture.
Allow the cubed bread to sit in the whisked liquid for the full 10 minutes so it absorbs the custard before going into the baking dish.
Grease your 9×13 baking dish thoroughly before transferring the soaked bread mixture.
Cover the dish tightly with foil for the initial 50-minute bake, then remove the foil for the remaining 10 to 15 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon to prepare the glaze, and pour it evenly over the baked bread pudding right before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of bread is used in this recipe?
This recipe uses one loaf of stale challah bread, cut into cubes.
How long does the bread need to soak in the egg mixture before baking?
Let the cubed bread sit in the egg and milk mixture for 10 minutes to absorb the liquid before transferring it to the baking dish.
How long and at what temperature is the bread pudding baked?
Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F for 50 minutes covered with foil, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9×13 baking dish.
Add the raisins, water, butter, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon to a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring mixture to a boil and continue cooking until the raisins plump up and about double in size, then remove from heat.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, vanilla, sugar, and 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Add the raisin mixture including the water.
Stir the cubed bread into the egg mixture until fully combined. Let the liquid absorb for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and cover with foil.
Bake for 50 minutes then remove foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.
For glaze: whisk together all ingredients and pour over the pudding before serving.
