Imagine waking up to the amazing scent of this delicious eggnog bread pudding baking in your oven. Spoil your family (and yourself!) with this special make-ahead breakfast.
Butter a 9-inch deep pie pan or a deep 8x8 baking dish and add cooled bread cubes.
1 tsp butter
Slowly pour the eggnog mixture over the bread cubes, gently pressing the cubes into the extra liquid in the dish.
Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight or at least for 1 hour.
Bake covered at 350˚F for 10 minutes on the middle rack. Remove foil and bake for another 35 minutes, or until the top of the bread pudding is lightly browned and all liquid has been absorbed.
Cool slightly and serve with a dusting of fruit, powdered sugar or maple syrup.
Notes
I used brioche bread because it is incredibly rich and buttery. Challah, french bread, Hawaiian rolls, or even croissants work well. Just make sure whatever you use is either stale and/or toasted prior to combining with the custard.
Don't mix the bread cubes with the custard. This can lead to lots of crumbs in your finished product. Rather, put the bread in the baking dish and slowly pour the custard over the bread. I also gently press the bread cubes into the liquid using a fork before refrigerating.
Mix the eggs really well to avoid clumps of baked "scrambled" eggs in the dish.