The Crispy Doughnut Bread Pudding Trick

Forget everything you think you know about bread pudding. We're taking this from a humble, homey dessert to an elegant, sophisticated bite that will be the talk of your dinner party.

The secret? We aren’t just serving a scoop from a pan. Oh no. We’re baking our doughnut custard, chilling it, cutting it into tidy cubes, and then—here’s the clever part—searing each little cube in a hot pan until it’s impossibly crispy and caramelized on all sides.

It’s the most splendid contrast of textures: a warm, custardy center hiding inside a crunchy, golden-brown crust. Paired with our test kitchen caramel and a maple-kissed whipped cream? It just takes the cake.

Doughnut Bread Pudding Bites

Yields: 4-6 servings Prep: 20 minutes (plus cooling time) Bake & Sear: ~60 minutes

Ingredients

For our "Magic 'One-Can' Caramel Trick"

• This is our signature sweetened condensed milk sauce.

• (You'll want to have this made well ahead of time, as it’s the base for our caramel drizzle and a secret ingredient in the whip!)

  
  

For the Doughnut Pudding

• Plain Cake Doughnuts: 350g (about 12 oz), torn into 1-inch pieces

• Whole Milk: 400g

• Whole Eggs: 5 large

• Sugar: 50g

  
  

For the Maple-Whiskey Whip

• Heavy Cream: 1/2 cup (cold)

• "Magic" Caramel Sauce: 1 tsp

• 100% Maple Syrup: 1 tsp

The Procedure: Step-by-Step

1. Prepare the Magic Caramel: First things first, get your Magic "One-Can" Caramel Sauce prepared. (You can find our foolproof recipe for that right here!) We'll need it for the final drizzle and for the whipped cream.

2. Mix & Bake the Pudding: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).

In a large bowl, whisk together the 5 whole eggs and the 50g sugar until just combined. Whisk in the 400g whole milk. Gently tumble in your torn cake doughnut pieces. Let them sit and soak for about 15-20 minutes, pressing them down gently to make sure they all get a chance to absorb that lovely custard.

Pour the mixture into a greased 8x8 or 9x9 inch baking pan. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until the center is set and a knife inserted comes out clean.

3. The Chill & Cube (Patience, darling!): This is the most important part! You must let the bread pudding cool completely. You can even chill it in the refrigerator for a few hours. This makes it firm and tidy. Once fully cooled, turn the pudding out onto a cutting board and slice it into neat 1.5-inch cubes.

4. The Searing (Here’s where we're cookin' with gas!): Just before you're ready to serve, get a non-stick pan over medium heat. You can add a tiny sliver of butter if you like, but the doughnuts often have enough fat to sear on their own.

Place the bread pudding cubes in the pan, being careful not to crowd them. Sear them for a minute or two on each side, until all six sides are a beautiful, deep golden-brown and wonderfully crispy.

5. Whip the Cream: While your crispy cubes are resting for a moment, let's make the whip. In a chilled bowl, combine the cold heavy cream, 1 tsp of our Magic Caramel, and 1 tsp of maple syrup. Whisk this by hand or with an electric mixer until it holds lovely, soft-to-medium peaks.

6. Plate Your Masterpiece: Arrange 3 or 4 of the warm, crispy cubes on a plate. Give them a generous drizzle of the warm Magic Caramel Sauce. Add a sophisticated dollop of your maple-kissed whipped cream right on top or beside it.

A tiny sprinkle of flaky sea salt right on the caramel? Oh, my goodness. That's just the bee's knees.