Challah Bread Pudding takes bite size pieces of challah and bakes them with a flavorful custard and crispy walnuts! It’s a scrumptious Hanukkah breakfast or even breakfast that the whole family will enjoy!
From my kids’ first taste of challah bread years ago they were totally in love! Its soft texture, buttery taste and beautiful braid made them instantly hooked. When thinking about what I wanted to serve as a special treat when our family celebrates Hanukkah this year, I thought about how much the kids (and hubby and I) would love Challah Bread Pudding.
After a meal of Roast Chicken and Zucchini Latkes or Potato Latkes, I know the kids will freak out to have bowls of this luscious dessert offered to them. The best part is that you can serve it as both a dessert or decadent breakfast during this holiday season.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
- Use leftovers: Use up leftover bread here, that might be stale or you might even be tired of! The rest of the ingredients are straight from the pantry and fridge, nothing special.
- Quick and easy: Slicing the bread is the most time-consuming part of this recipe. Otherwise you let the oven do the work.
- Delicious: The crunch of the walnuts plays so nicely with the creamy custard, and then you have the crisp edges of the casserole. There’s something for everyone here!
The Ingredients
- Bread: I focused on challah to make this as a Hanukkah recipe, but any type of bakery bread will do nicely.
- Milk: I almost always use whole milk in my cooking. It’s a healthy fat for kids and it makes such a creamy custard, but you could use a plant based milk if needed!
- Eggs: You can’t have custard without eggs! Much like French toast, the eggs soak into the bread for that fabulous custard texture.
- Honey: Challah is already a sweeter bread, but we add just a touch to the batter to really round out the flavors.
Substitutions and Variations
- Use that bread: If you have any sort of crusty bread such as sourdough or an Italian loaf from the bakery, throw it in. You do want to start with about a pound of bread, no matter the type.
- No nuts: Have a nut allergy or don’t love nuts in your casserole? Leave them out or try a dried fruit like raisins.
- Serve it up: You can really change the profile here by serving with fresh berries, maple syrup, or a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Each will change the final dish.
How to Make Challah Bread Pudding
Step 1: Cube bread into 1-inch chunks.
Step 2: Whisk custard ingredients in a bowl.
Step 3: Pour custard over bread and combine.
Step 4: Preheat the oven and grease a casserole dish.
Step 5: Pour bread pudding into prepared dish.
Step 6: Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes.
Step 7: Uncover and continue to bake for 25-30 more minutes or until golden brown and set.
Recipe Video
Tips and Tricks
- Slice it yourself: Starting with an unsliced loaf of bread is best, so you can control the thickness of the cubes.
- Make it stale: Stale bread will soak up the custard and rehydrate without becoming overly soggy. If your bread is still fresh, cube it and let it sit out uncovered for a few hours to dry out.
- Cover it up: Make sure and bake this covered at first so the top doesn’t burn!
FAQs
Challah is a Jewish braided bread traditionally served at the three Sabbath meals – Friday night, Saturday lunch and late afternoon. The dough is made with eggs, water, flour, yeast and salt and has a rich flavor. Some challah recipes call for raisins, honey or seeds. It all depends on the celebration! If you’re wondering how to pronounce challah, most English speakers say it haa-luh (no ch sound). It’s a Hebrew word that starts with a letter there isn’t an equivalent for in English — the “ch” represents that letter. It’s the same reason you might see the winter holiday Hanukkah written as “Chanukah.”
Serve Challah Bread Pudding on its own or topped with maple syrup, honey, or whipped cream and you’ve got a unique dish to make this holiday season that will have your whole family thinking you’re a super star!
More Hanukkah Recipes
Whether you celebrate Hanukkah or not, this Challah Bread Pudding will be an absolute showstopper of a breakfast or dessert this holiday season! I’d love to know what you think — leave a rating and comment below!
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Challah Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 loaf challah, about 1 pound, chopped into 1-inch cubes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8-inch square baking dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add the challah cubes and walnuts. Stir to coat evenly.
- Place the mixture in the greased baking dish and press down lightly.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake for 25-30 more minutes or until golden brown and set.
Notes
- Slice it yourself: Starting with an unsliced loaf of bread is best, so you can control the thickness of the cubes.
- Make it stale: Stale bread will soak up the custard and rehydrate without becoming overly soggy. If your bread is still fresh, cube it and let it sit out uncovered for a few hours to dry out.
- Cover it up: Make sure and bake this covered at first so the top doesn’t burn!
It was very easy to make and has a very good flavor. I tried it with whipped cream but I think it needs a custard or some type of icing on top.
Hi! Can I make this ahead of time? Can it sit overnight and nake in the morning? I’m thinking Christmas morning 🙂
Thank you for sharing hannukah recipes. This looks amazing!