This budin de pan is warm, cozy, and the perfect dessert for family dinners and special occasions. A classic and versatile bread pudding that can be served with a sprinkle of powdered sugar or dressed up with various toppings for an elegant presentation.
Place eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, lemon and orange zest in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
Pour the milk and evaporated milk, and whisk to incorporate all ingredients.
Add the bread and melted butter to the custard mixture. Mix everything with a spatula or spoon, making sure to push down the bread so it can nicely soak up the custard.
Cover the bowl and let the mixture rest for 15 minutes mixing from time to time.
Make The Caramel
Place sugar, water, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Rotate the pan from time to time, but do not stir.
Turn the heat to medium-low and keep cooking until you’ll have a smooth, dark brown caramel.
Using kitchen gloves, grasp the pan you'll use for your pudding and carefully pour the caramel into it, gently rotating the pan to coat all sides. Set aside.
Bake
Preheat your oven to 350°F/ 175°C.
Pour the pudding mixture into the pan with caramel. Then, place the pan inside a larger baking dish.
Pour water into the larger dish to cover 3/4 of the smaller pan.
Bake between 50 and 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the pudding is golden brown on top.
Remove the pudding from the oven, place it on a cooling rack, and allow to cool down for 20 minutes.
Run a knife around the edges of the mold. Place a serving platter over the pan and flip the pudding onto the platter.
Serve with your favorite toppings or on its own drizzled with the decadent caramel sauce.
Notes
Stale or slightly dried bread works best for bread pudding. Fresh bread might become too mushy during soaking and baking.
Allow the bread to soak in the milk mixture for at least 10-15 minutes. This ensures the bread absorbs the liquid and softens properly.
Let the bread pudding rest for 20 minutes before slicing and serving. This allows the flavors to settle and makes it easier to cut neat slices.