Gingerbread Bread Pudding: Decadent bread pudding using gingerbread brioche, molasses and gingerbread spice custard, all served with an orange caramel sauce.

Slice of Gingerbread Bread Pudding with sauce and ice cream melting down on it.

Yes, this recipe is long.

But really the bread is what is the hardest…and that’s just because it takes time.

This brioche is the same as the one used for Gingerbread Sweet Rolls.

The recipe makes two loaves but only requires one loaf.

May I suggest that you use the other loaf to make French toast with…so good.

While the bread itself tastes a little gingerbread-y I add more molasses and spices to the custard to add more flavor.

It’s best to make the bread a few days before you are going to make the pudding.

Pouring the orange caramel sauce over the Gingerbread Bread Pudding

This is a soft bread and you want it to get a little stale first.

So I would cut it up and let it air dry out a little.

You can use the loaf fresh, you will just get a mushy texture that most people are not fans of.

I love all bread pudding so I will eat it however.

Do I have to use egg yolks and HEAVY cream?

Yes.

Side view of gingerbread bread pudding with sauce and ice cream dripping down.

I have so many people make recipes of mine that don’t turn out.

When they ask why and we go over what we did, I can’t tell you how many people sub milk or half and half for the recipe.

Don’t.

It’s the holidays.

Live a little.

Have some heavy cream.

You can add whatever sauce you want but I went with an Orange Caramel Sauce.

I’ve said it on here a few times that orange and gingerbread is one of my most favorite combos.

P.S. It’s a great day to buy my cookbook Holy Sweet!

Slice of gingerbread bread pudding on a plate with ice cream on top with bread pudding pan in background.

Want More Bread Pudding Recipes?

Bailey’s Irish Nut Bread Pudding

Key Lime Pie Bread Pudding

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bread Pudding

Sticky Toffee Pudding Bread Pudding

Monkey Bread Bread Pudding

Gingerbread Bread Pudding

Ingredients

For the Brioche:
For the sponge:
½ cup whole milk, at room temperature
1 TBSP Red Star® Platinum Superior Baking Yeast®
2 TBSP granulated sugar
½ cup bread flour
For the dough:
⅓ cup unsulfured blackstrap molasses
3 TBSP packed light brown sugar
2 ½ TBSP gingerbread spice
4 cups bread flour
2 tsp. salt
6 large eggs, slightly beaten
9 oz. unsalted butter, softened but still cool
For the Bread Pudding:
1 loaf gingerbread brioche
3 cups heavy cream
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg
2 tsp. gingerbread spice
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
pinch of salt
For the Orange Caramel Sauce:
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
2/3 cup heavy cream
½ tsp salt

Instructions

For the Brioche:
For the sponge:
Combine milk and yeast in the mixing bowl of a standing mixer.
Whisk and let sit for 5 minutes.
Add flour and sugar, mix to form a thick batter.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30-45 minutes, until bubbles form.
For the dough:
Add the molasses, brown sugar, spice, flour, and salt to the sponge.
Add the eggs.
Beat with the paddle attachment on low speed for 2 minutes, until the eggs are absorbed. Increase the speed to medium and knead the dough for 5 minutes.
Switch to the dough hook at this point.
The dough will be sticky. Hold the mixer when necessary if it starts to dance on you.
Turn the machine down to medium low speed and add the butter, 2 TBSP at a time.
Knead for another 5 minutes, until the dough is shiny.
Scrape out the dough and clean and lightly oil the bowl. Don’t worry if the dough is difficult to work with (it will be).
Place the dough in the bowl then turn it over so that the top is oiled. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 2 hours, until doubled.
When dough is has doubled in volume, punch it down by folding it two or three times.
Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Spray two 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pans with pan spray.
Remove dough from fridge.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
Divide the dough evenly into two parts.
With a rolling pin(that is floured), roll the dough into a rectangle equal to the length of the pan and double its width.
Starting from the short side, roll up the dough like a jelly roll.
Pinch the seam together. Place the dough seam side down in the prepared pan.
Gently work the dough into the pan with your fingers so that it touches all sides. The dough should fill the pan halfway.
Cover the dough with plastic film coated with pan spray and let rise at room temperature until it has doubled in size and filled the pans completely, 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Toward the end of proofing preheat the oven to 400F.
Adjust the rack to the center of the oven.
Bake for 10 minutes at 400F.
Turn down the oven temperature to 350F and bake for 30 minutes more with an internal temperature of 180F.
Remove the brioche from the pans as soon as they come out of the oven and cool it on a rack.
For the bread pudding:
Tear 1/2 of the rolls into pieces and place into a baking dish (9-x-13-inch) that has been sprayed with baking spray or lightly coated in butter.
Mix the egg yolks, sugar, nutmeg, and salt together in a bowl.
Then whisk in the heavy cream and eggnog and beat until fully incorporated.
Pour 1/2 the custard over the bread.
Press down the bread pieces until the bread is soaked with the custard.
Add the remaining roll pieces.
Top with remaining custard.
Press down the bread pieces until bread is soaked with the custard.
Don’t feel like you have to use all the custard. How much bread will soak up changes.
Place pan into another pan that will hold a water bath.
Bake the bread pudding for 45 minutes at 350F until golden on top.
Cool for 10 minutes and serve warm.
For the sauce:
In a medium saucepan add the sugar.In the middle of the sugar add the orange juice.
Cook over high heat.Cook until the sugar has dissolved.
Cook, without stirring, until an amber caramel forms, about 6 minutes.
Remove pan off burner and add the heavy whippeing cream. Whisk quickly but be caramel as it will bubble up when you add the cream.
Add a pinch of salt and stir until combined.
Let cool for 15 minutes and serve over bread pudding.

Gingerbread Bread Pudding