Croissant Bread Pudding

Did you know you can make bread pudding using croissants, for an extra luxurious treat? Croissants are made from a laminated dough, meaning layers of butter are baked right in, so either fresh or slightly stale croissants make a decadent dessert.

Apple butter and raisins are layered in the middle of the croissants before pouring a rich egg custard over the top. And to finish, a sweet streusel is sprinkled over everything. The pudding bakes up fluffy and golden brown, and the raisins and crunchy topping add texture to this soft dessert.

Try it as a dessert or a sweet brunch offering next to homemade breakfast sausage patties.

Ingredients for Croissant Bread Pudding

• Raisins: Plumped up raisins add sweetness and texture to the croissant filling.
• Apple butter: Gooey apple butter is spread between the split croissants to add a surprising layer of flavor.
• Croissants: Whether you have fresh croissants or ones that are getting stale, buttery croissants are what make this bread pudding so special.

Custard:

• Eggs: Large eggs make the bulk of the rich custard, so that it cooks up slightly puffy and binds everything together.
• Milk: 2% milk thins out the eggs and rounds out the filling.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the custard.
• Vanilla extract: Add more flavor with a bit of vanilla extract.

Streusel:

• Flour: This bread pudding is elevated with a sprinkle of streusel over the top, and all-purpose flour keeps it crumbly and not too buttery.
• Brown sugar: The topping uses brown sugar because it’s moister and has a deeper flavor than white sugar.
• Butter: Cold butter is cut into the streusel, which helps it get golden brown and slightly crunchy, and of course, makes it delicious.

Directions

Step 1: Plump the raisins

Julia Hartbeck for Taste of Home

In a small bowl, cover the raisins in boiling water and let stand for five minutes. Drain and set aside.

Step 2: Make the filling, prepare the croissants

Julia Hartbeck for Taste of Home

Stir the apple butter and raisins together. Slice the croissants in half, spread the apple butter mixture over the bottom half and replace the tops. Cut each croissant into three pieces and put them in a greased 13×9-inch baking dish.

Step 3: Make the custard

Julia Hartbeck for Taste of Home

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and salt. Pour the mixture over the croissants and let it soak in for 30 minutes, until the bread has softened (a few hours or overnight is OK too).

Step 4: Make the streusel

Julia Hartbeck for Taste of Home

Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar and salt. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the streusel over the croissants.

Step 5: Bake the bread pudding

Julia Hartbeck for Taste of Home

Bake, uncovered, for 50 to 60 minutes, until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve your bread pudding warm.

Julia Hartbeck for Taste of Home

Croissant Bread Pudding Variations

• Trade apples for pumpkins: Instead of apple butter, try pumpkin butter in this croissant bread pudding recipe, and swap dried cranberries for the raisins.
• Make it summer: If apple butter feels a little too autumnal, try a berry jam in place of the apple butter, and dried cherries instead of raisins. Fresh in-season fruit, like blueberries or cherries, can also be sprinkled in after the custard is added.
• Serve it with sauce: Bread pudding is often topped with a sauce. Try your favorite vanilla sauce or a salted caramel sauce. Drizzle it over the pudding before serving.

How to Store Croissant Bread Pudding

Leftover bread pudding can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Can you make croissant bread pudding ahead of time?

Bread pudding is a great make-ahead dessert. After pouring the custard over the croissants, refrigerate up to overnight before baking.

Croissant Bread Pudding Tips

Julia Hartbeck for Taste of Home

Can I substitute another type of milk or cream?

What dairy you use will determine the richness of the custard. The recipe calls for 2% milk, but whole milk would be fine. Alternatively, you could combine a lower-fat milk with a little half-and-half or cream to make it more luxurious.

How do I cut in butter?

The trick for cutting in butter is to start with very cold butter and dice it into small pieces. If your butter has warmed up while cutting, pop the diced butter back into the fridge. A pastry blender is designed to quickly do the job by cutting the butter into smaller and smaller pieces and letting them get coated in flour. If you don’t have a pastry blender, two knives or a fork may be used.

How do I know when the bread pudding is done?

A knife inserted in the center will come out clean, but even before testing that way, the center should not appear wet or jiggly, and should be slightly puffed up.