Christmas Bread Pudding with Brown Sugar, Brie, and Sugared Cranberries
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!
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.