Cranberry Eggnog Doughnut Bread Pudding is made with a nutmeg-flecked eggnog custard soaked into stale glazed doughnuts, transforming them into a tender, rich, creamy base that perfectly offsets the soft, baked, tart cranberries. It’s an ideal dessert for cold weather or the holidays.
People often ask what it’s like to feed five boys. With four teenagers and one nearly there, we go through a lot of food.
On the first Saturday of each month, our friends and Amish neighbors Henry and Ada bring a box of two dozen fresh, hot, fried yeast doughnuts with maple glaze that we pre-order. Even though I’m not usually a doughnut person, these are irresistible — but I have to move fast to get one before my ravenous boys devour them.
One September I realized that Henry and Ada’s doughnuts would make excellent bread pudding if allowed to go stale. The only problem was that the boys ate every last one before any could dry out.
I tried to outsmart them in October by ordering an extra six doughnuts, but they disappeared just the same. In November I ordered twelve extra, boxed them, poked holes for air to help them stale, taped the box, and wrote “DO NOT EAT THESE!” all over it — then walked away. On the fourth day I opened the box with my other ingredients ready.
If you have teenage boys, you may already know what happened next.
Only crumbs of glaze and half a doughnut with tooth marks remained. I interrogated them; they all blamed the eldest. When confronted, he admitted eating them and claimed he didn’t realize the tape and warnings meant the doughnuts were off-limits. His reply — “The cat?” — left me speechless.
For December I escalated: four dozen doughnuts, twelve immediately sealed in a paper bag, taped shut, and labeled “DO NOT EAT THESE AND I DON’T MEAN THE CAT.” I waved the bag at them, made clear the consequences (which may have included relocating bedrooms to a drafty barn), and kept the bag in my sight at all times. I even took it to my bedroom each night and put it on my nightstand. On the third day I was rewarded with a dozen perfectly stale doughnuts and finally made my Cranberry Eggnog Doughnut Bread Pudding.
Was the effort worth it? Absolutely. This turned out to be the best bread pudding I’ve made. The nutmeg-flecked eggnog custard soaked into the stale glazed doughnuts, creating a luscious, custardy texture that balanced beautifully with the tart cranberries. Even the boys who usually avoid fruit in desserts enjoyed it. The trouble I took felt completely justified.
…maybe next month I’ll order five dozen doughnuts?
Cook’s Notes
- Because the doughnuts I used are very large (about twice the size of an average yeast doughnut), measurements are given in cups of cubed stale doughnuts. This makes the recipe easier to follow.
- Use glazed yeast doughnuts (like Krispy Kreme or similar). This recipe has been tested with glazed yeast doughnuts; cake doughnuts may behave differently.
- I prefer doughnuts that are at least three days old. If you’re in a hurry, chop them and leave them exposed to air overnight to dry. For an even quicker option, dry them on a baking sheet in a 250°F oven just until they feel dry to the touch.
- For best results, combine the doughnut cubes and custard an hour before baking so the doughnuts can soak up the custard evenly. If you can’t wait, it will still be delicious — just slightly less uniform.
- You can double the recipe and bake it in a 9″ x 13″ dish; baking time will increase and could take up to 100 minutes. The pudding is done when it’s uniformly puffy, golden on top, and still jiggles slightly in the center. An instant-read thermometer will show 165°F to 170°F in the center when it’s finished.
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Cranberry Eggnog Doughnut Bread Pudding
Rebecca Lindamood
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 2 1/2 cups eggnog
- 2 tablespoons melted butter plus extra for the pan
- 2 tablespoons vanilla
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 5 cups stale glazed yeast doughnuts cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
Optional for serving:
- a dusting of powdered sugar
Instructions
-
Beat the eggs. Add the eggnog, melted butter, vanilla, and nutmeg, whisking until combined. Stir in the sugar and whisk until dissolved. Toss the doughnut cubes with the fresh cranberries. Generously butter a 9-inch baking dish and pack the doughnut cubes and cranberries tightly into the dish. Pour the custard mixture evenly over the doughnuts and press down lightly to help them absorb the liquid. Butter a piece of foil and place the buttered side down over the dish. Refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight so the doughnuts soak up the custard.
When ready to bake, let the pan sit at room temperature while you preheat the oven to 325°F. Place a bread or cake pan filled with boiling water on the lower oven shelf to create a gentle steam. Bake the pudding on the upper shelf for 55 to 70 minutes, removing the foil after the first 40 minutes, until the pudding is puffy and the top is evenly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool and set for 30 minutes before scooping and serving. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition using the exact ingredients you use if needed.
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