Indulge in the Ultimate Cinnamon Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce: A Taste of the Flint Hills
Last month, my culinary adventures led me to the heart of Kansas, a region celebrated for its stunning Flint Hills and rich cattle country heritage. It was during this unforgettable journey that I experienced a truly remarkable gourmet chuckwagon supper. The grand finale of this incredible meal was a dessert that has lingered in my memory ever since: an absolutely divine Cinnamon Bread Pudding, perfected with a decadent drizzle of homemade Whiskey Vanilla Sauce. This isn’t just any bread pudding; it’s a creation that redefines comfort dessert, delivering a light, tender texture that will surprise and delight your palate. Join me as I share the secrets to recreating this extraordinary dish, inspired by a true cowboy culinary legend.
Why This Cinnamon Bread Pudding is a Must-Try
This isn’t merely a recipe; it’s an experience, a journey into the heart of authentic American cuisine. Here’s why this particular Cinnamon Bread Pudding stands out and deserves a cherished spot in your recipe collection:
- Authored by a Legend: This treasured recipe comes directly from the renowned rancher, Food Network star, and accomplished cookbook author, Kent Rollins. Known for his authentic chuckwagon cooking and engaging storytelling, Kent has mastered the art of rustic gourmet.
- A Culinary Masterpiece from the Plains: I had the distinct pleasure of being among a group of bloggers for whom Kent Rollins personally prepared a dinner during our visit to Oklahoma. The meal was nothing short of spectacular, featuring perfectly grilled Certified Angus Beef® Brand tomahawk ribeye steaks, sweet grilled corn, savory hominy with green chiles, and arguably the best baked beans I’ve ever tasted. Yet, the dessert stole the show – this light, unbelievably luscious Cinnamon Bread Pudding, beautifully enhanced by its extraordinary whiskey sauce.
- Unveiling the Secret to Perfection: What makes this bread pudding so uniquely light and tender? Many traditional bread puddings can be dense, but Kent’s version defies expectations. The secret lies in an ingenious ingredient swap, which we’ll delve into in our expert tips. This unexpected tweak transforms the texture, making it airy and melt-in-your-mouth delightful.
- Visual Guidance from the Master: To truly grasp the magic behind this dessert, you can watch Kent Rollins and his charming wife, Shannon, whip up this amazing bread pudding in a video captured during our Kansas trip. Seeing the experts in action provides invaluable insight and inspiration!
Mastering Your Bread Pudding: Insider Tips from a Culinary Journey
During that memorable evening, I was surrounded by over a dozen fellow food bloggers. As we savored each bite of Kent Rollins’ bread pudding, a collective groan of pure delight swept through the group. Its incredible lightness puzzled us all. We couldn’t quite put our finger on why it was so different, so ethereal. Then, one clever friend, consulting Rollins’ cookbook, A Taste of Cowboy (a copy of which we each gratefully received), discovered the ingenious secret. Here are the key tips to achieve bread pudding perfection:
- The Game-Changing Ingredient: Hamburger Buns! This is the pro-tip that left us all speechless. Instead of using stale, leftover bread—the traditional choice for bread pudding—Kent Rollins champions the use of soft hamburger buns. This seemingly simple swap is the secret to the pudding’s unparalleled lightness and tender texture. Hamburger buns absorb the custard mixture beautifully without becoming heavy or dense, creating a truly unique and delicious outcome. Don’t knock it till you try it!
- Spice Harmony: Cinnamon and Nutmeg: The specified amounts of cinnamon and nutmeg are merely suggestions, a starting point for your culinary creation. If you adore a pronounced, warm cinnamon flavor, feel free to increase the cinnamon slightly. However, exercise caution with nutmeg; its potent aroma can quickly overpower a dish. A little goes a long way to add that subtle, earthy depth without dominating the other flavors. Freshly grated nutmeg offers the best fragrance and intensity.
- The Irresistible Whiskey Sauce: A magnificent bread pudding demands an equally magnificent sauce. This is not an optional accompaniment; it’s an integral component of the experience. Our rich and flavorful Whiskey Vanilla Sauce, a sublime blend of whiskey, pure vanilla extract, and a generous measure of heavy cream, provides a luxurious topping. It adds a sophisticated warmth and moistness to every bite, elevating the dessert to an extraordinary level. The slight kick from the whiskey beautifully complements the sweet, spiced pudding.
- Campfire Culinary Adventure: While most home cooks will prepare this dessert in a conventional oven, it’s fascinating to note that this bread pudding can be crafted over a well-controlled campfire, just as Kent Rollins often demonstrates. This traditional chuckwagon method requires skill and a keen eye to prevent charring the bottom, but the smoky nuances imparted by open-fire cooking can add another layer of rustic charm to this dessert. If you’re feeling adventurous and have the proper setup, it’s a truly authentic way to experience this recipe!
Frequently Asked Questions About Bread Pudding
Bread pudding is a classic, comforting dessert with humble origins, traditionally designed to use up stale bread. It’s essentially a baked dish made by soaking cubes or slices of bread in a rich, sweet custard mixture. This custard is typically a blend of milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and various spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Sometimes, for added texture and flavor, fruits such as raisins or apples, or nuts like pecans, are incorporated. The result is a delightfully soft, warm, and satisfying dessert, often served with a sauce.
Scaling down a recipe can sometimes be tricky, especially when it involves eggs. However, making a half batch of this bread pudding is surprisingly straightforward. The primary consideration is often the number of eggs. Since a large egg typically measures about 3 tablespoons in volume, if a recipe calls for an odd number of eggs (like 3 in this case), you can easily whisk the third egg and measure out 1 ½ tablespoons for your half batch. This method works perfectly to ensure the custard’s consistency remains ideal for a smaller serving, preventing you from having too many servings when cooking for just a few people.
While this Cinnamon Bread Pudding is utterly delicious on its own, it also serves as a fantastic base for customization. Before baking, consider stirring in a handful of toasted nuts, such as crunchy pecans or walnuts, to add a delightful textural contrast. For a fruity twist, cubed and lightly sautéed apples or plump, juicy raisins are excellent additions that complement the warm spices beautifully. Dried cranberries, chocolate chips, or even a splash of rum in the custard could also introduce exciting new dimensions of flavor.
We felt truly privileged to experience a traditional chuckwagon dinner, showcasing an array of incredible recipes by Kent Rollins. His generosity in sharing his cookbook with all of us was the perfect end to a perfect evening!
Explore More Delicious Dessert Recipes You May Also Like:
If you’ve fallen in love with the comforting charm of bread pudding, or simply have a sweet tooth that needs satisfying, check out these other fantastic dessert recipes from my kitchen and those of my talented blogger friends:
- Cake Donut Bread Puddingfrom Spend with Pennies
- Rum Raisin Croissant Bread Puddingfrom Wonky Wonderful
- Bread Pudding with Vanilla Custard Sauce from Two Peas and Their Pod
- Peach Pudding
- Slow Cooker Apple Pecan Bread Pudding
- Plus, explore my comprehensive collection of Best Dessert Recipes for endless sweet inspiration!
Stay connected with me and my culinary adventures through social media on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Don’t forget to tag me when you whip up one of my recipes! If you adore the results, please consider leaving a 5-star rating in the recipe card below – your feedback means the world to me!
Cinnamon Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce
15 minutes
45 minutes
1 hour
12 servings
Experience a light-textured bread pudding, elevated with a luscious whiskey sauce. This recipe is thoughtfully adapted from Kent Rollins’ acclaimed cookbook, “A Taste of Cowboy: Ranch Recipes and Tales from the Trail,” bringing authentic cowboy flavors to your table.
Ingredients
For the Light & Tender Bread Pudding:
- 2 cups milk
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 8-10 hamburger buns (using 8 larger brioche buns yields a richer flavor)
For the Luscious Whiskey Sauce:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 4-6 tablespoons whiskey (adjust to taste for intensity)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) to ensure it’s ready for baking.
- Lightly butter an 8 x 11-inch baking dish, preparing it for the pudding mixture.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, sugar, and eggs until the mixture is completely smooth and well combined.
- Slowly whisk in the melted butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg into the wet mixture, ensuring all ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Tear about half of the hamburger buns (approximately 4-5 buns, or 2 ½ if larger) into roughly 1-inch pieces. Add these pieces to the wet custard mixture and gently immerse them until they are thoroughly moistened.
- Tear the remaining buns into similar 1-inch pieces. Add this second batch to the mixture, but resist mashing them. The goal is for these bread pieces to be moistened while still largely retaining their original shape, contributing to the pudding’s unique light texture.
- Carefully pour the entire bread pudding mixture into your prepared baking pan, spreading it evenly.
- Bake for approximately 35 minutes, or until the bread pudding appears sponge-like and springs back gently when lightly touched in the center. Be vigilant not to overbake, as this can lead to a dry pudding.
- While the bread pudding bakes, prepare the whiskey sauce: combine all the sauce ingredients (sugar, melted butter, heavy cream, whiskey, and vanilla) in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat and let it gently simmer for 1 minute, allowing the flavors to meld beautifully.
- Once the bread pudding is ready, slice it into generous portions and drizzle the warm whiskey sauce generously over each serving. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Chef’s Notes
I successfully made half of Kent Rollins’ original recipe, which yielded a perfect smaller batch. When halving, simply whisk the second egg and measure out approximately half of it (about 1.5 tablespoons) to maintain the correct custard ratio. For this half-sized portion, I baked it in a 7 x 7-inch casserole dish for about 35 minutes, achieving the same tender results.
Recommended Products for Your Kitchen
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
- Gravy Boat
- Nesting Mixing Bowls
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 594Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 135mgSodium: 361mgCarbohydrates: 64gFiber: 1gSugar: 46gProtein: 8g
HOW MUCH DID YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE?
Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest
The Unrivaled Quality of Certified Angus Beef® Brand
My culinary journey through the Flint Hills was not just about bread pudding; it was a profound immersion into the world of high-quality beef. For years, Certified Angus Beef has been my unwavering choice for its consistent excellence. However, after this enlightening sojourn, I now possess a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of why it consistently delivers such superior flavor and tenderness.
Certified Angus Beef cattle are raised under incredibly stringent standards, a commitment that ensures exceptional marbling – the fine flecks of fat that are crucial for creating juicy, flavorful, and incredibly tender cuts of meat. This isn’t just a marketing slogan; it’s a dedication to quality passed down through generations of ranchers. These families, many of whom have been raising beef for centuries, seamlessly blend time-honored traditions with cutting-edge modern technology, including advanced DNA testing, to guarantee that only the absolute best cattle make it from their pastures to your plate. This meticulous attention to detail at every stage of the process, from breeding to feeding, is what sets Certified Angus Beef apart.
If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of experiencing Certified Angus Beef, I implore you to seek it out. The difference in taste and texture is palpable and will elevate any beef dish you prepare. To discover where you can purchase this premium beef or find restaurants that serve it in your area, be sure to check their convenient restaurant locator. On a recent visit, I dined at Red, the Steakhouse in downtown Indianapolis and enjoyed a magnificent steak – quite possibly the best I have ever tasted! This experience only solidified my conviction in the Certified Angus Beef brand’s unwavering commitment to excellence.
Our chuckwagon supper was an absolute feast for the senses, culminating in this Cinnamon Bread Pudding – a truly sublime ending to an extraordinary meal. The company, the culinary creations, and the breathtaking scenery made for an unforgettable experience. A heartfelt thank you to Certified Angus Beef® Brand for providing such deep insights into why your beef is genuinely the best. I came away from this trip not only with a renewed appreciation for your product but also with a comprehensive understanding of the dedication that goes into every cut. For my Indianapolis friends, I highly recommend finding the finest selection of Certified Angus Beef at Market District in Carmel.
Furthermore, I extend a very special thanks to the incredible rancher and fellow blogger, Debbie Lyons-Blythe, of Kids, Cows and Grass. Debbie and her family generously opened their home to our group of bloggers, hosting an elegant luncheon on their deck with a mesmerizing, panoramic view of the iconic Flint Hills of Kansas. Their warmth, genuine hospitality, and willingness to share their ranching life dazzled us all and added an immeasurable richness to our entire journey.