Bread Pudding Pie Recipe – New Orleans Style

I don’t know if you are a fan of bread pudding recipes or not but I have a feeling that this recipe might change your mind if you are on the fence. This Bread Pudding Pie Recipe – New Orleans Style is as creative and tasty as it gets! All the things you love about bread pudding combined with a flaky, homemade crust make this dessert one of a kind. And if that wasn’t enough, each slice is topped with a delicious caramel sauce (with pecans, raisins, and rum) that sends this dessert to the next level!

It’s the perfect pie for my “PIE OF THE MONTH” series because I dedicated the entire month of March to different types of bread. When I sat down to plan I kept thinking to myself, “What kind of pie would I do for this month that will stay true to my theme?” and then it occurred to me… BREAD PUDDING PIE! 

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I’m a Louisiana woman born and raised, and it’s not lost on me that we are known around the country for our good cooking! (And for good reason) We know how to make a pot of gumbo that will warm the soul. We can whip up a jambalaya or a batch of red beans and rice that have so much flavor they will make your toenails curl. (HA) But savory dishes aren’t the only things that we are good at. We also make the best bread pudding among many other sweets!

(Have you ever heard of beignets?) 

This is where New Orleans’s style of Bread Pudding comes into play. Yeah, you heard that right. We are known for our bread pudding. (There isn’t much that we can’t do) I’m aware that bread pudding comes from England, but we have certainly made our Cajun mark on the dish. And I’m sure that they have their own versions of bread pudding filled with lots of fruits and missing a sauce. But that just won’t cut it here in the Deep South! Here are the many ways that Louisiana has upgraded this dessert from the English:

• Uses stale French Bread 
• Milk and Cream for a rich silky texture
• Cinnamon/nutmeg/ginger add an interesting warmth and balance of flavor
• Raisins and pecans for chew and crunch
• A rum sauce to top the bread pudding with decadence!

This is a good time for me to point something out to you. My recipe is for a bread pudding pie. So, it’s a unique twist on this traditional dish. I’ve also taken liberties with other ingredients in the recipe. If you want this to be authentic New Orleans Style… by all means, include the above-mentioned things. But I wanted to add my own little flare.

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Tips for the Bread Pudding Pie Recipe – New Orleans Style:

• Let the pie cool to room temperature before serving with the sauce. The inside of the pie (custard) is so hot… like LAVA and it will burn your mouth.
• If you don’t have a rolling pin to roll out your dough, no worries, just use a large jar. It will do the same thing.
• If you want to try different techniques for the edges of your pie crust, I suggest going to YouTube and looking up tutorials on how to decorate the crust. That’s what I did. I try my best to show you in the video below how I made the ribbon edge, but if it’s not clear enough, there are plenty of other videos and google pics that can help you. Don’t be scared to be creative!

Make this Bread Pudding Pie Recipe – New Orleans Style with me on YouTube!

Bread Pudding Pie Recipe – New Orleans Style Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tablespoon white vinegar
• 4 tablespoons ice-cold water

For the filling:

• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups of leftover French bread (I used leftover yeast rolls, but you can use any leftover bread that you have)
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon almond extract (substitute 1 teaspoon vanilla extract if you don’t like almond)
• 2 tablespoons butter (small cubes)

For the sauce:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon rum extract
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup pecan pieces

Bread Pudding Pie Recipe – New Orleans Style Instructions:

Making the Crust:

• First, place the all-purpose flour in a mixing bowl.
• Second, add the cold butter to the flour. You can cube it or grate it. I chose to grate the butter because the thin slices are easier to incorporate with your fingers. You want to mash the butter into the flour until it resembles a coarse meal, almost like sand.

• Third, add the egg, salt, cold water, and white vinegar to the flour and butter mixture.
• Mix all of the ingredients with your fingers until the dough forms.

• After the dough has come together, wrap it completely with plastic wrap and flatten it into a disc so that it’s easier to roll out later. Place the wrapped pie crust into the fridge to rest for at least 20 minutes.

• Once the pie crust has finished resting in the fridge, place it onto a lightly floured surface in order to roll out.

• Using a rolling pin, roll out the pie crust to the size of your pie-baking dish. Be sure to put flour on top of the dough and the rolling pin to make sure that it doesn’t stick.

• Then, roll your dough around the rolling pin to transfer it into the pie dish.

• Next, trim the extra dough (hanging off of the pie dish) with a knife but leave enough to have a thick crust on the edge.

• Crimp the edges of the crust any way that you like. You can use a fork or your fingers. I chose to do a ribbon method with my fingers. 

Making the filling:

• First, place the cubed, stale bread straight into the prepared unbaked pie crust. (I just tore mine into pieces with my hands)

• Second, crack 2 eggs into a large bowl.
• Third, add the sugar, almond extract, and milk to the eggs and whisk to combine to make the custard.

• Next, pour mixture over the bread cubes inside the pie crust.
• Then, sprinkle the cinnamon on top of the bread and custard.
• Place the butter cut into little cubes on top of the pie.

• Bake the pie at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and cook for 45 minutes more.
• When the pie is completely set and golden brown on top, it’s ready to take out of the oven.
• Let the pie cool to room temperature before serving… or at least wait until it’s not piping hot. It will burn your mouth.

Making the sauce:

• First, combine the brown and white sugar, rum extract, heavy whipping cream, raisins, and butter in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

• Cook for 2-3 minutes stirring with a rubber spatula until the sauce begins to thicken.
• Remove from heat when the sauce coats the back of a spoon.

• Stir in the pecan pieces.
• Immediately spoon the sauce over a slice of the bread pudding pie and serve. (The longer the rum sauce sits, the thicker it will become)

Other ideas for the Caramel, Pecan, Rum Sauce:

• This caramel rum sauce is great poured over vanilla ice cream for a delicious dessert!
• Spoon it over another popular dessert – Apple Pie for a truly decadent experience!
• Feeling extra special for breakfast? Whip up a batch of French toast and use this sauce as your stand-in syrup. 

Storage for the Bread Pudding Pie Recipe – New Orleans Style:

• Leftover creamy caramel and pecan rum sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
• Bread Pudding Pie can be wrapped and kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

What are the Macros for the Bread Pudding Pie Recipe – New Orleans Style:

Makes 8 servings (Nutritional information below is for 1 serving = 1 slice)

• Calories – 595
• Protein – 8 grams
• Carbs – 56 grams
• Fat – 38.25 grams

Check out some of my other Louisiana Favorites!

Louisiana Cajun Gumbo – Chicken and Sausage

Cajun Style Red Beans and Rice

Crispy Fried Okra

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