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Christmas bread pudding tastes like rich vanilla-brown sugar custard, and is the perfect way to use stale leftover bread! Here we add orange zest, nutmeg, and sugared cranberries to make it festive for the holidays. And if you’re wondering about the brie, it melts down into gooey, decadent oblivion!
If you saw my post last Friday, I don’t want to make matters worse by confusing the issue even more.
But really, this recipe is another one that would be pretty gosh darn perfect on Christmas morning.
I’m sticking with my story though; those Christmas Morning Scones are the best way to go. So go ahead and make this festive brown sugar bread pudding for Christmas dessert. ;)
That’s (one of) the beautiful things about bread pudding. It’s completely acceptable as brekkie or dessert, and it feels special enough to serve on a holiday. Especially if it’s this bread pudding, which features brie and sugared cranberries.
Did you hear that, friends? Gooey melted brie and those pretty little sparkly sweet/tart sugared cranberries. Plus the flavors of brown sugar, orange, and nutmeg. I die.
If you’re wondering about the sugared cranberries, they really couldn’t be easier to make. They’re addictive like candy, but much less sweet (it’s a total sweet/tart thing). And they have the whole crunch factor going for them!
If you’re making sugared cranberries anyway, I recommend making extra because they’re the sort of thing you’ll want to have around for munching on. I describe how to make them in the recipe below, but if you want a full-on tutorial, check out my step-by-step sugared cranberries recipe.
And if you don’t get to this one on Christmas, well there’s always brunch on New Years, or you know, any random weekend that calls for a special breakfast.
Christmas Bread Pudding Ingredients and Substitutions
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
Sugared Cranberries Ingredients
- Sugar, water, and cranberries – you’re going to make the prettiest, most festive edible little balls of bling with just these three ingredients
Brown Sugar Bread Pudding with Brie Ingredients
- Butter – to grease the dish
- Eggs – act as a binder in bread pudding and helps it set
- Milk – I like whole milk here, but you can use any type of milk you normally drink
- Light brown sugar – adds sweetness and flavor notes of caramel and molasses
- Vanilla extract – vanilla adds flavor and aroma, and pairs perfectly with brown sugar
- Orange zest – use an organic orange if possible, scrub it clean, and grate the zest (a microplane is perfect for this task!)
- Nutmeg – for the most aromatic, intense flavor, grind whole nutmeg on a microplane
- Salt – enhances the flavor of everything else
- Brie – brie is optional here and if you use it, go for a creamy, mild brie; for this recipe, I like to remove the rind, and I find the easiest way to do it is to grate it off using a box grater (it also minimizes the amount of cheese that’s trimmed off with the rind!)
- Day-old bread – a loaf of day-old French or Italian bread works perfectly
Easy Swaps to Make This Year-Round
Omit the sugared cranberries, and use cinnamon instead of nutmeg. You can skip the orange zest, or keep it!
Instructions
Step 1: Make the Sugared Cranberries
Combine 2 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Swirl the pan to dissolve the sugar, and turn off the heat once it’s been dissolved.
Cool the syrup for 5 minutes, and then toss it with the cranberries in a medium bowl until they’re completely coated. Spread the cranberries out on a wire rack set above a baking sheet to drain any excess syrup; let the berries dry for 1 hour (they will be tacky).
Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of sugar to a shallow bowl. Toss the cranberries in the sugar, and then spread them out in an even layer on a baking sheet until dry, about 30 minutes to 1 hour. (You can repeat this step once if necessary.)
Store sugared cranberries in an uncovered bowl in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Step 2: Assemble the Brown Sugar Bread Pudding with Brie
Generously grease a 1.5-liter casserole dish with butter.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, brown sugar, vanilla extract, orange zest, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl.
Add half of the bread cubes to the prepared casserole dish and sprinkle on the cubed brie. Add the remaining half of the bread on top. Pour in the egg mixture, gently pressing down on the top of the bread with a spoon to make sure all of the bread pieces are soaked.
Step 3: Refrigerate Overnight
Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate 12 hours or overnight.
Step 4: Bake
The next day, preheat the oven to 350F and let the bread pudding sit at room temperature while the oven preheats.
Once the oven is up to temperature, bake the casserole uncovered on top of a foil-lined baking sheet until the custard is set and lightly browned on top, about 45 to 55 minutes.
Let the bread pudding sit for 10 minutes to set before serving.
Step 5: Serve
Serve warm with the sugared cranberries on top. For people who like things extra sweet, a little drizzle of maple syrup on top of this bread pudding is perfect.
Storage and Reheating
Storage: Once it’s baked and cooled, store this bread pudding covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Wait to add the sugared cranberries until right before serving.
Reheating: To reheat this bread pudding, you can cover an oven-safe dish with foil and heat it until warm in a 350F oven, or in a microwave-safe dish in the microwave.
More Festive Brunch Recipes to Try
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Christmas Bread Pudding with Brown Sugar, Brie, and Sugared Cranberries
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Ingredients
Sugared Cranberries:
- 6 tablespoons granulated white sugar divided
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3/4 cup fresh cranberries
Bread Pudding:
- Butter to grease the dish
- 5 large eggs
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
- 1 teaspoon whole nutmeg freshly grated on a microplane
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 oz brie cheese rind trimmed and cubed (see Note)
- 8 oz day-old French or Italian bread cubed (about 6 cups cubed)
Instructions
For the Sugared Cranberries:
- Combine 2 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Swirl the pan to dissolve the sugar, and turn off the heat once it’s been dissolved.
- Cool the syrup for 5 minutes, and then toss it with the cranberries in a medium bowl until they’re completely coated. Spread the cranberries out on a wire rack set above a baking sheet to drain any excess syrup; let the berries dry for 1 hour (they will be tacky).
- Add the remaining 4 tablespoons sugar to a shallow bowl. Toss the cranberries in the sugar, and then spread them out in an even layer on a baking sheet to dry for 1 hour. (You can repeat this step once if necessary.)
Assemble the Bread Pudding:
- Generously grease a 1.5-liter casserole dish with butter.
- Whisk together the eggs, milk, brown sugar, vanilla extract, orange zest, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl.
- Add half of the bread cubes to the prepared casserole dish and sprinkle on the cubed brie. Add the remaining half of the bread on top. Pour in the egg mixture, gently pressing down on the top of the bread with a spoon to make sure all of the bread pieces are soaked.
Refrigerate Overnight:
- Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate 12 hours or overnight.
Bake:
- The next day, preheat the oven to 350F and let the pudding sit at room temperature while the oven preheats.
- Once the oven is up to temperature, bake the casserole uncovered on top of a foil-lined baking sheet until the custard is set and lightly browned on top, about 45 to 55 minutes. Let the bread pudding sit for 10 minutes to set before serving.
Serve:
- Serve warm with the sugared cranberries on top.
Notes
- Brie: Brie is optional here; if you use it, use a creamy, mild brie. I find the easiest way to trim the rind off brie is to grate it off using a box grater.
- Serving Suggestion: For people who like things extra sweet, a little drizzle of maple syrup on top of this bread pudding is perfect.
- Storage: Once it’s baked and cooled, store this bread pudding covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Wait to add the sugared cranberries until right before serving.
- Reheating: To reheat this bread pudding, you can cover an oven-safe dish with foil and heat it until warm in a 350F oven, or in a microwave-safe dish in the microwave.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on December 22, 2014. It was updated with more information on December 21, 2023.
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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I LOVE bread puddings. Interesting idea to add brie to this, I’m curious to know what the addition tastes like!
Wow, what a gorgeous pudding! I love all the flavors in here :)
This is almost like the Mexican Capriotada with the cheese (one of my favorite desserts). I’m so giving this one a try!
I feel like this should be lunch tomorrow. And that will make my day!
Divine! A wonderful treat.
Happy Holidays dear!
Cheers,
Rosa
Sugared cranberries sound just delicious. This is SO pretty! Definitely dessert worthy.