Bread pudding is the Louisiana dessert that combines bread with a sweet custard and is associated with soul-food cooking.
The dessert is made by soaking pieces of bread in a mixture usually containing milk, eggs, sugar, and flavorings. It is then baked until the custard sets. Raisins, spices, vanilla, or a sauce may be added, depending on the recipe.
Louisiana bread pudding reflects the region’s layered culinary history, including French, Spanish, Caribbean, African, and British influences. In New Orleans, it is a familiar home-style dessert and may be served with a whiskey, rum, or fruit sauce.
Bread pudding is a useful way to transform stale bread into a substantial sweet dish. It differs from banana pudding, which is assembled from bananas, wafers, and custard, and from rice pudding, whose main starch is rice rather than bread.