Choosing the Best Bread for Your Pudding
While this recipe features croissants, the beauty of bread pudding is its versatility. You can use almost any leftover bread you have on hand. Brioche bread or challah make for an exceptionally rich and fluffy texture because of their egg content. If you want something sturdier, French bread or even sourdough can work well, adding a slight tang to the sweet chocolate hazelnut spread. The key is to use stale bread; if your bread is too fresh, leave it out for a few hours so it can better absorb the custard mixture without turning to mush.
Nutella Bread Pudding Recipe-Ingredients & Directions
Gather the rest of your ingredients and do some prep for your kids first, if they can’t use a knife just yet. Making bread pudding is a fantastic family activity because it’s hard to mess up!
Step 1: Prep the Croissants
We started with filling the croissants. First, spread the Nutella generously on one side of the sliced croissant.
Then fill the inside with diced apples and raisins. Feel free to come up with your own filling! I know, we do apples a lot around here…it’s their favorite.
Cut the croissant sandwich into thirds or cube them to fit your dish. Fill your prepared baking dish (don’t forget to grease it first!). The girls each wanted to make their own individual portions.
We could totally stop here, right? But the custard is what transforms this from a sandwich to a pudding.
Step 2: Make the Custard
Then we mixed the ingredients to make the custard. In a large bowl, whisk together the heavy cream (or whipping cream), eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract. You could even scrape a vanilla bean croissant bread pudding is amazing. if you want to be extra fancy.
I divided the custard into two measuring cups for easy pouring into their dishes. One dish got a little bit more custard than needed…
…as evident here, after baking! Just make sure the pudding is set and fully cooked if this happens. Let the bread soak for 10 minutes before baking to ensure the cream and egg mixture permeates the bread.
Serving Suggestions
Have some whipped cream with that. As mentioned, this wasn’t too sweet at all, and not only that, there were many different types of sweet going on (buttery croissant, chocolatey Nutella, tart apple, and sweet raisins) so it was an interesting and fun combination of flavors, yet one didn’t overwhelm the other.
For a truly indulgent experience, serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of caramel sauce. If you love bread pudding, adding some chopped hazelnut pieces on top adds a great crunch that compliments the chocolate-hazelnut flavor.
Nutella, Apple, and Raisin Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 3-5 croissants (or brioche), preferably a day old
- 1/2 cup or so Nutella (or any chocolate hazelnut spread)
- 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the croissants cross-wise down the middle and slather a layer of Nutella onto each slice. Place apple pieces and all but about 2 Tbs raisins on the bottom half of each croissant and place the top half of the croissant on top to form a sandwich. Cut into thirds and place into a baking dish. Set aside.
In a bowl and whisk together the remaining ingredients to make the custard mixture. Pour the custard into the baking dish over the croissant pieces. Press down on the croissants to absorb the custard. Scatter the remaining raisins on top. Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes, until the top is brown and any remaining custard around the sides of the bread has set. The pudding will be golden brown when done. Allow to cool slightly and serve the bread pudding warm with whipped cream.
Note: This should be enough to fill an oval 9×12-inch oval baking dish and serves 8. The 8×8-inch dish used 3.5 croissants (though there was room for more).
Conclusion
Wishing you a sweet holiday season! If you’re in the mood for something sweet and breakfast-y, then this Nutella Bread Pudding Recipe is just the thing for you! It’s quick and easy to make, and your friends and family will love it! We suggest serving it with a drizzle of honey, or some ice cream if you get a chance. Let us know what you think in the comments below, and be sure to check back regularly for new recipes and blog updates!
FAQs
Q: What is a nutella croissant bread pudding and how does it differ from classic bread pudding?
A: A nutella croissant bread pudding is a rich dessert recipe that uses croissants with Nutella instead of traditional day-old bread; because croissants are flakier and butterier, the final bake is more decadent and custardy. Unlike classic bread pudding, which bread pudding is made from cubes of loaf bread soaked in a cream mixture, this version layers torn croissants and Nutella for pockets of chocolate-hazelnut goodness.
Q: Can I use stale croissants or should they be fresh when I want to use up stale pastries?
A: You can and should use up stale croissants for this recipe—the slightly dried texture soaks up the custard better than fresh ones. If you’re making a dessert recipe specifically to use up stale items, tear them into pieces, spread Nutella between layers, then whisk the eggs with milk and cream mixture before pouring over the croissants and allowing them to rest so they absorb evenly.
Q: How do I make the cream mixture and whisk the eggs properly for the custard?
A: Prepare a cream mixture by combining whole milk and heavy cream (or just milk for a lighter pudding), sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Whisk the eggs or egg yolks into the mixture—many recipes call for whole eggs plus extra egg yolks for richness. Whisk until smooth, then pour over the croissants so the custard fully soaks through before you bake the bread pudding.
Q: Is it better to bake the bread pudding covered or uncovered, and how long should I bake it?
A: Bake the bread pudding uncovered at a moderate temperature (around 325–350°F / 160–175°C) until the custard is set but still slightly jiggly in the center, usually 30–45 minutes depending on depth. If the top browns too quickly, tent with foil. For extra gooey Nutella pockets, bake until edges are set and center reaches about 170°F (77°C).
Q: Can I use Nutella on top as a sauce, and what other toppings work well?
A: Yes, you can warm Nutella to drizzle Nutella on top as a finishing touch; heating briefly in the microwave or over a double boiler makes it pourable. This pairs beautifully with warm with vanilla ice cream or hot cream drizzles. Toasted nuts, powdered sugar, or a dollop of whipped cream also complement the richness.
