Southern Bread Pudding With Buttered Rum Sauce

Rum sauce elevates a simple, frugal southern bread pudding. (Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock)

Southern Bread Pudding With Buttered Rum Sauce

This is the simple, frugal bread pudding that appears frequently on supper tables in the American south.

To dress it up a tad, I’ve added rum sauce. It’s perfectly fine without it, however, and can be topped with a simple confectioner’s sugar glaze or warm fruit preserves.

Serves 6

For the bread pudding:

• 3 cups stale bread cubes
• 2 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons very soft butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup raisins or toasted pecans

For the rum sauce:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 3 tablespoons dark rum

Make the bread pudding: In a bowl, combine bread cubes with milk. Press the bread into the milk, then let stand 15 minutes or until the cubes are soaked with milk.

In a separate bowl, combine eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk or beat until well-blended. Add the soaked bread cubes and any remaining milk to the egg mixture. Stir well, add raisins or nuts, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Pour the bread pudding batter into a buttered 9-inch x 9-inch baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes or until pudding is set and the top is browned. Remove from the oven.

Make the rum sauce: In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir the cornstarch into the white sugar and add to the butter, along with the brown sugar. Whisk in the half-and-half and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. When the sauce thickens, remove from the stove and stir in the rum.