Bread pudding with condensed milk becomes a smooth, caramel-topped dessert when you blend the bread into the custard before baking. This Brazilian-style version turns ordinary day-old rolls into a golden ring with a glossy amber topping. Cut a wedge, spoon over a little caramel, and serve it chilled for a dessert that feels especially suited to making ahead.
This recipe is an editorial adaptation inspired by the supplied bread pudding Reel. The video shows the main ingredients and cooking sequence but does not provide a complete measured formula or oven settings. The quantities, oven temperature, timing, and chilling instructions below are proposed starting points for testing. The accompanying images are AI-generated illustrations of the adapted recipe.
What Makes This Bread Pudding Different? Many American bread puddings keep visible cubes of bread and develop a toasted top. Here, the bread is blended with sweetened condensed milk, eggs, and regular milk. The goal is a fine, cohesive custard crumb rather than separate pieces. A layer of caramel coats the mold first, then becomes the topping when you turn the chilled pudding onto a platter.
The finished dessert resembles a bread-enriched flan. It should hold its shape when sliced while remaining tender enough to eat with a spoon. The source uses a ring mold with a central tube, which gives the custard a distinctive shape and helps reduce the distance between the outer edges and the center of the mixture.
Ingredients for Bread Pudding with Condensed Milk For the proposed eight-serving batch, use 5 ounces of plain day-old bread rolls, one 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk, three large eggs, and 2 cups of whole milk. For the caramel, measure 3/4 cup of granulated sugar and 1/3 cup of water. You will also need enough hot water to fill the roasting pan approximately halfway up the outside of the mold.
Weigh the bread instead of counting rolls because roll sizes vary considerably. Five ounces is about 140 grams. Choose plain rolls without seeds, garlic, cheese, or a sweet filling. Day-old bread is useful here, but it must still be wholesome. Keep the crust unless it is unusually thick or dark; removing substantial crust changes the amount of bread entering the custard.
Sweetened condensed milk supplies both sugar and concentrated dairy. Evaporated milk is a different product and is not a direct replacement. The regular milk loosens the mixture so the blender can process the bread. Eggs help the custard set. Keep the proposed ingredient proportions together for the first test before experimenting with additions or substitutions.
Equipment and Pan Size Choose an approximately 8-inch oven-safe metal ring mold with a center tube and at least a 6-cup capacity. A solid, leakproof mold is preferable to a springform pan because it will sit in a water bath. You also need a blender, a heavy saucepan for caramel, a deep roasting pan, foil, heatproof mitts, and a rimmed serving platter wider than the mold.
How to Make the Caramel Bread Pudding ### 1. Soften and Blend the Bread Heat the oven to 350°F. Tear or cut the weighed bread into manageable pieces. Combine it with the whole milk and condensed milk in the blender jug, letting it soften for about 5 minutes if necessary. Add the three eggs. Keep the mixture below the blender's maximum fill line, secure the lid, and blend until the bread is finely incorporated.
Stop the motor before opening the lid or scraping the jug. If your blender is too small, divide the mixture evenly between batches and combine them afterward. Let the blended custard stand briefly while you prepare the caramel. This step lets some surface foam settle; it does not replace the cooking needed to set the eggs.
2. Prepare an Amber Caramel Place the sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Let it melt gradually, gently swirling the pan or folding unmelted patches into the liquid with a heatproof spatula. Watch closely as the color changes. Aim for amber rather than very dark brown, then remove the pan from the heat before adding the measured water slowly and carefully.
The mixture will bubble strongly when water meets hot caramel. Keep your hands and face away from the steam. Return the saucepan to low heat if hardened sugar needs to dissolve. Once smooth, carefully pour the caramel into the metal ring mold and tilt with mitts to coat the bottom. Set the mold on a heatproof surface; hot caramel can cause serious burns.
3. Fill the Mold and Set Up the Bath Pour the blended custard over the caramel, leaving at least 1/2 inch of space below the rim. If your mold is smaller than suggested, do not overfill it. Cover the top with foil and place the mold in the deep roasting pan. Put the roasting pan on the oven rack, then carefully add hot water around the mold to about halfway up its sides.
Keep the water outside the custard mold and below its rim. The bath moderates the heat reaching the pudding. Make sure the tray sits level and that you can move the oven rack without spilling. The source shows a covered mold entering a water bath; it does not establish a specific oven temperature or cooking duration.
4. Bake Until the Custard Sets Bake for approximately 60 to 75 minutes, beginning your checks around 50 minutes because pans and ovens vary. Carefully lift a corner of the foil, avoiding escaping steam. Look for set edges and a center that moves gently as one piece rather than sloshing like liquid. Check that the custard reaches at least 160°F with a food thermometer, following USDA guidance for egg dishes.
If the mixture is still liquid, continue baking and check again at short intervals. Add more hot water to the outer pan if needed, keeping it away from the pudding. The proposed time is an estimate, so use the custard's condition as well as the thermometer. Remove the mold with mitts and place it on a rack away from the hot bath.
5. Cool, Chill, and Unmold Let the pudding cool enough to handle, then refrigerate promptly, within 2 hours of leaving the oven. Chill for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, until thoroughly cold and firm. Run a thin knife carefully around the outer edge and center tube. Place the rimmed platter over the mold, hold both securely, and invert them together before gently lifting away the mold.
If the pudding resists release, briefly stand the base of the mold in warm water to loosen the caramel, keeping water out of the dessert. Try the inversion again without shaking hard. Spoon any flowing caramel over the ring. Cut into eight wedges and transfer each portion to a small plate, adding a little sauce from the platter.
Serving and Storage Serve the pudding chilled so its custard structure stays easy to slice. Its caramel already provides a topping, so try the plain version before adding anything else. Use a clean knife between cuts for neater edges. A shallow rim on the serving platter helps contain the sauce as it runs down the sides and gathers around the ring.
Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator at 40°F or below and use within 3 to 4 days. Return the dessert to refrigeration promptly after serving. Store individual portions in shallow containers if that makes cooling and handling easier. These limits follow USDA guidance for cooked egg dishes; they are separate from the recipe's proposed texture and baking estimates.
Frequently Asked Questions ### Can I Use Sandwich Bread? Plain sandwich bread can be tested by weight, but it may absorb liquid differently from crusty rolls. Start with the same 140 grams and avoid heavily flavored or filled bread. A substitution can change the finished texture, so record the bread you use rather than assuming that a fixed number of slices equals the proposed amount.
Why Does My Pudding Have Bubbles? Blending can introduce air, and excessive heat can make a custard less even. Let surface foam settle before pouring, use the water bath, and check the pudding during baking. A few small bubbles do not prevent serving. For the next attempt, note your blending duration, oven behavior, and actual doneness time before changing the formula.
Can I Make It Ahead? Yes. The proposed method includes at least 4 hours of chilling, so preparing it the day before serving fits naturally. Keep it refrigerated in the mold, then unmold onto a rimmed platter when ready. Allow enough time to release it gently, and keep the finished dessert chilled until serving.
Printable Bread Pudding with Condensed Milk Recipe
Brazilian Bread Pudding with Condensed Milk
Equipment
- 8-inch solid oven-safe metal ring mold, at least 6-cup capacity
- Blender
- Heavy saucepan and heatproof spatula
- Deep roasting pan
- Foil and heatproof mitts
- Food thermometer
- Rimmed serving platter
Ingredients
- 5 ounces plain day-old bread rolls 140 g; no flavored fillings
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk one standard US can; not evaporated milk
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups whole milk 473 ml
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar 150 g; for caramel
- 1/3 cup water 79 ml; for caramel
- hot water as needed for the outer water bath; not added to custard
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine weighed bread with whole milk and condensed milk; soften about 5 minutes if needed. Add eggs, secure blender lid and blend until smooth without exceeding maximum fill. Stop before scraping. Let surface foam settle.
- Melt sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat until amber. Remove from heat and carefully add 1/3 cup water slowly, keeping clear of steam and splattering. Return to low heat if needed until smooth. Pour into an 8-inch oven-safe metal ring mold, at least 6-cup capacity; tilt with mitts to coat the base.
- Pour custard into caramel-coated mold, leaving at least 1/2 inch headroom. Cover with foil. Set mold in a deep roasting pan on the oven rack. Add hot water to the outer pan halfway up the mold sides, keeping water outside the custard and below the rim.
- Bake approximately 60-75 minutes, checking around 50 minutes. Carefully open foil away from steam. Edges should set and center gently tremble as one mass, not slosh. Check at least 160°F in the custard with a food thermometer. Continue baking if still liquid; replenish outer bath carefully if needed.
- Lift mold out with mitts and cool on rack. Refrigerate promptly within 2 hours of leaving oven; chill at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, until cold and firm.
- Loosen outer edge and center tube gently. Invert onto rimmed platter; lift mold away. If stuck, briefly stand mold base in warm water without wetting custard, then retry. Cut into 8 wedges and spoon caramel over portions. Refrigerate leftovers at 40°F or below for 3-4 days.
Notes
Recipe inspiration: the supplied Brazilian bread pudding Reel. Egg cooking and storage guidance: USDA safe egg handling.