This peach cobbler bread pudding was way too good not to have its own recipe on the internet. Ripe peaches layered in with custard soaked leftover sourdough milk bread topped with a crunchy cinnamon streusel, I don’t think any other desserts can beat this end-of-summer beauty.
I was only making this bread pudding from odds and ends that we have leftover one weekend right before a play date we had for the kids. Because as an Asian, you don’t ever come over to anyone’s house empty handed.
I was seriously not “testing” it as a recipe for the blog, but it turned out so freaken amazing that it deserves a life up here. I did end up making it 3x cuz I didn’t write anything down the first go round. 🫠
Key ingredients
🍑 Needless to say, ripe peaches are key in this recipe. If you are able, splurge on really fresh peaches from the farmer’s market and make it immediately. I actually used yellow nectarines here, but peaches and nectarines both work. I do prefer the yellow variety for a stronger peachier flavor.
Other key ingredients…
- sourdough milk bread – I used a bunch of odds and ends I had from recipe testing different flavor milk bread, from strawberry milk bread to purple sweet potato milk bread to my coconut milk bread. All that is to say, this peach bread pudding will work with any bread, preferably milk bread, brioche and challah. And store bought is just fine too.
- almond extract – I used just a splash to enhance the peach flavor in the macerated peaches. Feel free to skip if you don’t have any, but I love using almond with stone fruits.
Let’s make it
1. Macerate the peaches
You can macerate the peaches in a little bit of sugar, a pinch of salt and a splash of almond extract a few hours before baking or the night before. I think this enhances the flavor of the peaches and encourages the juice to come out making the bread pudding more peachy and juicy.
2. Dry the bread
I’ve made bread pudding with toasted and untoasted bread and found that toasting the bread in the oven and drying them out thoroughly allows them to soak up more custard, giving the bread pudding a moist custardy texture without being mushy.
3. Prepare the custard
I like to beat the eggs with brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla first until thoroughly combined before adding in the half and half. Otherwise it’s hard to beat when the mixture is too liquidy.
4. Soak the bread
I recommend letting the bread cubes soak up the custard for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. You are also more than welcome to let them soak overnight if preparing ahead of time. Make sure to mix it once or twice during this process to ensure even soaking.
5. Make the streusel
I like freezing the streusel at least 15-30 mins just before you are ready to assemble and bake the bread pudding to help it form big clumps that will stay crunchy when baked. If the streusel freezes into a big lump, just break it up with your fingers.
6. Assemble and bake
I add half the bread pudding to the pan, then half the peaches, then layer on top the remaining bread pudding and then peaches before topping the whole thing with streusel. Bake until the center is no longer jiggly but don’t overbake or the bread pudding will start to be too dry.
The only way to serve this peach cobbler bread pudding is warm with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Peach Cobbler Bread Pudding
Equipment
- 10” square baking pan
Ingredients
Macerated peaches
- 2 large peaches or nectarines
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- A pinch of kosher salt
- A splash of almond extract
Bread pudding
- 454 grams (1 lb) leftover sourdough milk bread
- 5 large eggs
- 480 grams (2 cup) half & half
- 150 grams (¾ cup) brown sugar
- 10 grams (2 teaspoon) vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Streusel
- 100 grams (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 64 grams (½ cup) AP flour
- Couple pinches of kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 57 grams (¼ cup) unsalted butter cold & cubed
Instructions
- Macerate the peaches – Cut the peaches into thin wedges and toss with sugar, salt and almond extract. Refrigerate until ready to use, and ideally overnight.2 large peaches, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, A pinch of kosher salt, A splash of almond extract
- Dry the bread – Preheat the oven to the lowest heat setting, for my oven it was 170°F (80°C). Cut leftover milk bread into 1” cubes, spread them on a large baking sheet and toast for 1 hour. Turn off the oven, remove the bread cubes and allow them to cool completely, approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour.454 grams leftover sourdough milk bread
- Prepare the custard – Beat together eggs, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the half and half.5 large eggs, 150 grams brown sugar, 10 grams vanilla, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 480 grams half & half
- Soak the bread – Toss cooled dry bread cubes in the custard mixture evenly and let them soak for at least 2 hours and up to overnight in the refrigerator. Turn the mixture once or twice to make sure it’s soaking evenly.
- Make the streusel – Whisk together sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt in a small mixing bowl. Add cold cubed butter pieces to it and press them into the flour mixture with the tips of your fingers until the mixture resembles wet sand. Freeze until ready to use.100 grams granulated sugar, 64 grams AP flour, Couple pinches of kosher salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 57 grams unsalted butter
- Preheat the oven – Set the oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F (180°C).
- Bake – Add the bread pudding mixture and the peaches in 2 layers in a 10” square baking pan. Top with streusel. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 mins, until the center is no longer jiggly.
- Cool – Remove bread pudding from the oven and let it cool slightly before serving. Best serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- Pan size: you can use a 9” square baking pan. For the smaller pan size, the bread pudding will fill it all the way up to the rim. I recommend placing the pan on top of a baking sheet before you put it into the oven in case anything spills over during baking. You’ll also need to increase baking time by 5 mins to account for the thicker layer of bread pudding.
- Storage: you can keep bread pudding at room temperature overnight and up to 2 days, but it is best to store leftovers in the refrigerator, it should last up to a week. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
