This bread pudding recipe is a call to sustainable eating. If you ever wonder what to do with those leftover slices or loaves of bread on your counter, this recipe is the ideal solution. Our Easy Bread Pudding Recipe with Rum and Coconut is rich, comforting, and full of tropical flavor, demonstrating how leftover bread can be converted into something absolutely irresistible.
The soft custard base soaks into the bread, the hint of rum lends a grown-up twist, and the shredded coconut provides just the right amount of sweetness and texture.
It’s easy to prepare, budget-friendly, and the best way to give old leftover bread a delicious new life.
History: Who Created The Bread Pudding Recipe?
Bread pudding has been a staple of my childhood. Bread in Jamaica was purchased from bakeries that used no preservatives or additives, only basic ingredients. As a result, “hard dough white bread” got moldy very easily.
When mold takes over, instead of discarding the entire bread, the molded parts of the bread were cut off, and the good parts were repurposed to make a delicious bread pudding treat. Today, there are many variations to the recipe.
Bread Pudding: The Poor Man’s Dish
Bread pudding originated as a “poor man’s dish” in the 11th and 12th centuries, when European cooks developed creative recipes to avoid wasting stale bread.
Instead of throwing out old bread, they soaked it in milk or water, added fat and spices, and baked it into a new dish.
By the 13th century, it had become known as “poor man’s pudding,” a dish popular among the poorer classes in England.
Different Variations of Bread Pudding
As trade routes extended, the recipe evolved. The addition of sugar, eggs, butter, and dried fruits transformed it from a simple leftover dish to a delicious dessert enjoyed by all classes.
Every culture added a unique twist to bread pudding: England flavored it with tallow/animal fat, spices, and custard. France developed variations such as pain perdu, which is similar to French toast.
Colonial America embraced it, using local ingredients such as molasses and whiskey.
In comparison, the Caribbean incorporated tropical flavors like coconut, rum, and local spices, resulting in the delicious variations like the one you will be making today.
Bread pudding is now enjoyed around the world as both a comfort food and a gourmet dessert, with limitless variations ranging from sweet to savory.
Now that you have learned a bit of history, let’s go to the recipe.
Easy Bread Pudding Recipe with Coconut Rum: The Best Way To Use Leftover Bread
Equipment
- Oven
- Mixing Bowls
- Bakeware
- Spoon
- Whisk
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 12 cups Bread Pieces (about one 18 oz loaf of bread)
- ¾ cups Dried Cranberries
- 7 ounces Sweetened Shredded Coconut Flakes (1 pack)
Wet Bread Pudding Ingredients
- 4 cups Vanilla Almond milk
- 6 medium Eggs
- 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoons Jamaican White Rum
- ⅓ cup Sangster's Coffee Rum Cream Liqueur
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1½ teaspoons Freshly Grated Nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Ginger Powder
- 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Instructions
Prepare Dry Ingredients for Coconut Rum Bread Pudding
- One of the fun things about this bread pudding recipe is that you may use any old or leftover bread that you have accumulated over time. This batch includes old breads such as whole wheat, milti-grain, seeded, potato, white, and sourdough. Instead of tossing them out, put all of the bread you are not going to eat in the freezer. When you have accumulated enough, try our scrumptious bread pudding recipe.
- Using your fingers, tear each slice or loaf of bread into small pieces. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- Save 2 ounces of the shredded coconut. It will be used subsequently to garnish the pudding's top. To the bread pieces, add the remaining shredded coconut. Mix everything together with a spoon. Set these aside.
- Preheat oven to 375 ℉.
Let's Prepare the Wet Ingredients: The Flavor Star of the Show.
- In a mixing bowl, crack 6 medium-sized eggs. Combine the eggs, cinnamon powder, grated nutmeg, brown sugar, olive oil, ginger powder, salt, and vanilla extract. Mix together using a whisk until uniform.
- Pour vanilla almond milk, rum cream, and 100% proof Jamaican white rum into the egg mixture. Mix with a whisk.
- The flavor and aroma of the egg mixture will tempt you to drink a cup, but fight the urge. Combine the rum egg concoction with the bread mixture. Add the dried cranberries and use a spoon to thoroughly combine the ingredients. Allow it to rest and soak up the delicious spiced rummy milk mixture.
- Raisins are commonly used in bread pudding. However, I chose sweetened dried cranberries because they provide texture while also providing a tart-tangy contrast to the bread pudding's sweet, creamy flavor.
Allow Bread Pudding with Coconut and Rum to Rest for 10 to 15 Minutes.
- After 10 to 15 minutes of resting, give the bread pudding batter another mix. Spray bakeware with an oil spray. You may use a standard baking pan. However, I love baking in this mini rectangular silicone mold. They produce the perfect individualized loaves. You can purchase it using my Amazon affiliate link HERE.
- Place silicone bakeware onto a bigger baking tray. Pour warm water up to halfway up the side of the mold.Use a spoon to carefully fill each mold with the bread pudding mixture. Top each mold with a few pieces of the shredded coconut.
- The remaining bread pudding mixture was poured into a greased bundt pan. You may use any pan of your choice. Remember that the size of the pan impacts the cooking time. Check in on a regular basis to ensure that everything is done. When the bread pudding has finished cooking, an inserted bamboo skewer should come out clean.
- Place baking pans in a preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- After a bamboo skewer or knife comes out clean when inserted, remove the baked bread pudding with coconut rum and allow them to cool at room temperature for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- You may enjoy a slice of warm bread pudding with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert or just as a snack. Serves about 15 15 to 20 people.
How Do I Store Bread Pudding?
- The bread pudding recipe includes rum not just for flavor but also as a preservative. I doubt they will last this long, but bread pudding loaves or slices can be wrapped in parchment paper or aluminum foil and refrigerated for up to two weeks. If you are preparing these for kids, do not add the white rum and rum cream to the recipe.
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Please share your thoughts and leave a star rating. Do you like your bread pudding chilled or warm?
This is definitely something I would try! Not sure about my diet! But hey ho you only live once! I love your creative cooking!
Thank you, Lauren. Do what I did: make the banana bread and share it with your friends and family. Then you will not be tempted to ruin your keto diet too much. LOL
This looks super easy to make. I can’t wait to try it!
Thanks for visiting, Jenn. You are going to love my Bread Pudding with Coconut Rum
Gracious! This looks AMAZING!!!
Thank you, Janet. I hope you get to make my bread pudding some day.
This looks delicious. Can’t wait to try it.
Thank you, Elaine
Yum, this looks delicious and easy to make! Thank you so much for sharing!
Savannah | http://www.sunshinewithsavannah.com
Thank you.
Thank you for visiting Savannah.