Use Leftover Croissants to Bake Epic Bread Pudding for the Holidays!
Curious about how to make bread pudding?! Today I’m sharing a fun variation using buttery croissants.
If you are wanting to bake a stunning brunch or dessert recipe for a special occasion or “just because”, you have to try making bread pudding this holiday season for friends and family!
This rich and decadent bread pudding is a great way to utilize leftover croissants, and you’ll just need a few easy-to-find ingredients. It’s insanely GOOD and so worth making! 😋
What is bread pudding?
Bread pudding is a sweet custard-like dessert or brunch dish that traditionally calls for stale bread, eggs, and cream. It can have dried fruit such as raisins and spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Some prefer to use French bread, challah, or brioche.
Today we are leveling up traditional bread pudding using croissants!
I tried this recipe last year, written by one of my cooking idols Ina Garten and it was pretty incredible. Today I am changing up a few things for a similar chocolate chip variation. I added a little almond extract, and fewer eggs this time around.
Chocolate almond croissants are always a hit with my family whenever we visit a fancy pastry shop, and this recipe has the same vibes, but with a rich custard.
Tips for baking croissant bread pudding:
- Don’t be intimidated by the method of using a water bath to bake bread pudding. This will help keep the temperature down and yield a better result for evenly cooked custard. Simply place your pan in a larger pan and fill it with a couple of inches of hot water. You’ll also need to cover everything with foil and poke a couple of air holes too.
- If you are using fresh croissants, one thing you can do is just lightly toast them in a 350-degree oven for 10 minutes to get some of the moisture out.
- What do I do with the extra egg whites? Save them and make an egg-white omelet, meringue pie, or angel food cake!
- Leftover bread pudding can keep in the fridge in a covered container for up to 4-5 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Croissant Bread Pudding
yield: 10 SERVINGS
prep time: 20 MINUTES
cook time: 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES
total time: 1 HOUR 50 MINUTES
Buttery croissants along with chocolate chips and almond extract are used to bake this classic custard dessert or brunch treat.
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 5 egg yolks
- 5 cups half and half
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 6 large croissants, preferably stale
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips
Directions
1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2
Whisk together all the eggs, yolks, half and half, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract in a large bowl. Set aside.
3
Cut the croissants in half lengthwise, and place the bottoms in a large casserole dish.
4
Add the chocolate chips over the first layer of croissants. Place the top on the croissants over the chocolate chips.
5
Pour the egg custard mixture over top, and gently press down the croissants so they soak for about ten minutes.
6
Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. I had a turkey roaster that worked great! Fill it with about an inch of hot water making sure not to overfill it past the top of the bread pudding pan. Cover the entire setup with foil, and poke a couple of holes using a knife at the top.
7
Place it in the oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 40-45 minutes until the custard is set. You'll know it's done when it jiggles but is firm in the middle. Remove from the oven and let it cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!
Additional Notes
Adapted from BarefootContessa.online.
This bread pudding gets a WOW from my family members!
I love the light airy texture of the croissant paired with the sweet custard and chocolate. It makes your home smell amazing, and really is a delicious treat. The texture of the custard reminds me of the Mexican dessert flan, and I really enjoyed the added almond extract.
This special occasion type dish would be perfect to serve at Christmas or for a special brunch.
Here’s what my teammate Jenna had to say after making this bread pudding:
“Bread pudding is my favorite dessert in the whole world… maybe even my favorite food, but I have never made it with croissants. This is brilliant and it was so easy to throw together! I am thinking this will be the best Christmas morning treat for my family. We all loved it so much, I can’t wait to make it again!”
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