Turn your day-old French croissants into deliciously flaky, crispy, buttery bread pudding! Recently, I shared my ultimate guide to making croissants at home. I shared all the tips and tricks I learned in the process of making perfect, classic croissants, and laid out step by step instructions as well. I went through MANY batches in the making of that post. Croissants that were otherwise perfectly delicious, but just didn’t make the cut for what I wanted. But that’s OK, because those croissants had an even higher calling. They were turned into this simple, but glorious raspberry croissant bread pudding!
Who doesn’t love bread pudding!
Making bread pudding with leftover bread is a great way to use up stale bread, and it’s always a crowd-pleaser! And there’s never a set recipe with bread pudding, and it’s a pretty forgiving dish too. A bread pudding is a baked “casserole”, where pieces of bread (preferably stale), are soaked in a slightly sweetened milk and egg mixture, and then baked until the egg milk custard sets. The bread pieces that are soaked in the custard layer are rich and creamy, while the bread pieces on the surface develop a beautiful, crispy texture. Basically a bread pudding is a casserole version of French toast. And although bread pudding is technically a sweet dish like this chocolate raspberry bread pudding, it can also be a savory dish. Using an enriched bread like challah or brioche makes for a richer flavor, while using a flaky and rich bread like croissants can add a pastry-like flakiness and texture, in addition to the richness. For this bread pudding recipe I’m using 6 – 7 medium-sized croissants. That’s actually 1 batch of croissants from this French croissants recipe, so this is perfect to use up a messed up batch. This recipe is quite forgiving and versatile, so don’t be afraid to adapt and be creative!
Making raspberry croissant bread pudding
Making any type of bread pudding is easy. For this raspberry croissant bread pudding however, Cut up the croissants into cubes (about 1 – 2 inch cubes). Make the uncooked custard base. In a bowl, whisk the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest. Add the cut up croissants into the custard base. Toss the bread pieces in the milk egg mixture. Butter a baking dish. Add half of the soaked croissant mixture to the bottom of the pan. This should completely cover the bottom of the dish. Spread about 3/4 th of the jam on top of that. Top it with the rest of the soaked croissants. Dollop the remaining raspberry jam over the croissants, followed by a sprinkling of raw brown sugar (which will add a nice crunch, once baked). Preheat oven to 350 F / 180 C. Cover the baking pan with foil, and bake in the preheated oven. Halfway through baking, remove the foil and let the bread pudding caramelize on top. Let it cool slightly, so that the custard has time to settle. Serve warm or at room temperature. You can serve it as is, or with different toppings.
How to modify the bread pudding to your liking
I do prefer croissants because they produce a really irresistible texture, but you can obviously make bread pudding with brioche, challah, or any other bread you have at home too. You can use any kind of jam you like. Raspberry, strawberry or plum jam are some of my favorites, but you can use your favorite jam instead. You can also add some chopped chocolate or nutella along with the jam to make a chocolate raspberry croissant bread pudding. Don’t forget to add the chocolate on top of the pudding as well. This is simply a mixture of milk + eggs + sugar + vanilla. I like to add the zest of lemons to the custard, because it helps brighten up the flavor and also adds a zingy freshness. The lemon flavor isn’t prominent though, just a subtle whisper of a flavor. For a dairy free version of bread pudding, you can substitute the milk with plant-based milks (and swap croissants to a dairy free alternative). Add about 1 – 2 tbsp of cocoa powder for a chocolate custard version to make chocolate raspberry croissant bread pudding (or double chocolate raspberry croissant bread pudding). Swapping the white sugar for brown sugar can add a butterscotch flavor to the bread pudding, for a butterscotch raspberry croissant bread pudding. I used fresh raspberries here, just to add a pop of freshness and fruitiness to the finished bread pudding. But you can use different fruits or anything you like to top the bread pudding. Bread pudding requires no toppings other than a dusting of icing sugar. HOWEVER, if you’d really like to, you can serve it with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream (or even chocolate ice cream), or custard sauce (vanilla crème anglaise) like I have here. Or if you fancy something sweeter, you can top it with a classic maple syrup, or chocolate fudge sauce, or caramel sauce too. For a crunchier topping, use chopped nuts or praline (or a praline paste even).
How to adapt the recipe for different baking dishes
This recipe was made in an oval dish, but you can make it in an 8 inch square pan, or 8 inch round pan without changing the directions. You can also make it in a 9 inch square pan or 9 inch round pan too. The depth of the bread pudding will change depending on the dish you use, which will change the baking time too. See my comprehensive pan conversion chart for more information. The shallower the croissant bread pudding, the shorter the baking time. To know when the bread pudding is done baking, just give the dish a little shake, and the bread pudding should have the slightest jiggle in the center when done. The middle will continue to cook even after it’s removed from the oven, and set completely when cooled. The result is always an amazingly buttery, flaky, perfectly sweet and creamy, raspberry croissant bread pudding! 🙂
