Bread Pudding with Hot Butter Rum Sauce in 10 Easy Steps

Whether you’re eating it for breakfast or as a dessert, bread pudding is a mouth-watering treat. You can already imagine its warm, saucy goodness, right? If you thought this yummy dish might be too difficult to make, you’re in luck. Here is how to make a delicious bread pudding with hot butter rum sauce in 10 easy steps.
 
Ingredients

Pudding:

7–8 cups torn or cubed French bread
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3 cups milk
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup raisins
2-1/2 tablespoons rum
4 beaten eggs

Sauce:

1/3 cup heavy cream
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
1-1/2 tablespoons rum

 
Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. For the bread pudding, place the torn or cubed French bread in a large bowl.
3. In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the brown sugar, milk, butter, cinnamon, vanilla, raisins, and rum, stirring constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved.
4. Pour this mixture over the bread and allow it to soak, undisturbed, for 30 minutes.
5. Beat 4 eggs and add to the soaked bread mixture. Stir gently. The bread should be completely saturated with the egg and pudding mixture.
6. Butter a 9-inch baking dish and pour the bread mixture into it.
7. Bake for 40–50 minutes, or until the top is browned and the middle is set. Do not overbake, or it will become dry.
8. For the sauce, combine the heavy cream, white sugar, and butter over low heat and stir constantly until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Do not boil this mixture, or it will start to crystallize.
9. When sugar has dissolved, add the rum.
10. Pour the warm sauce over each piece of bread pudding before serving.

Tips and Tricks

• You can store leftovers in the fridge for2–3 days maximum. Be sure to store the sauce and bread in separate containers.
• To reheat individual pieces, place the bread pudding and a spoonful of sauce in the oven at 350 degrees for 5–10 minutes or one minute in the microwave.
• Consider using day old French bread if possible. Day old bread acts like a sponge and will soak up liquids.
• If French bread is not available, you can substitute with eggy breads (such as challah or brioche) or rustic country bread.
• Grease every side of the baking pan with butter before adding the bread pudding mixture. Not only will this step provide extra flavor, it will create a delicious crust on each side of the pudding.
• To prevent the insides from drying out, cover dish for 3/4 of the cooking time. The insides will be moist, but the outside will still be deliciously crunchy.
• If you are a fan of pumpkin, add 3/4 canned solid-pack pumpkin to the recipe. Include the pumpkin in the Step 3 mixture. 
• If you’re a fan of chocolate, you can add one cup of unsweetened baking cocoa, or Dutch-process cocoa to the mixture in Step 3.