I discovered Bread Pudding only a couple of years ago after I moved to the United States, and it wasn’t love at first bite. It took me some time, though, to find this Bread Pudding recipe that made me fall in love with Bread Pudding. The recipe is easy and straightforward, coming from a cooking book I love so much: Pen Vogler’s “Dinner with Mr. Darcy – Recipes Inspired by the Novels and Letters of Jane Austen.”
This bread pudding recipe, inspired by Jane Austen’s novel, is the only recipe I’ve been using because the result is delicious, and it takes so little time just to put it in the oven. By the way, the “Dinner with Mr. Darcy” cooking book has a special gift to transport you back in time with authentic Jane Austen-inspired dishes adapted for the contemporary cook. It’s a book you can read and also cook from!
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Why You’ll Love This Bread Pudding Recipe
What makes this Bread Pudding recipe special is how easy and nostalgic it feels. It uses simple pantry staples and comes together in under an hour, yet the result is rich, spiced, and deeply satisfying. It’s the kind of dessert you could imagine being served at a family table in a Georgian country estate — think Pride and Prejudice, but in your own kitchen. This is a great place to start if you’re new to traditional English puddings. Bread pudding is a fantastic way to reduce food waste, too, as it gives stale bread a second life. You can use any plain white bread you have on hand, and the custardy texture absorbs the warm milk and spices beautifully.
Jane Austen-Inspired Bread Pudding
Ingredients
2 cups / 575ml milk
Piece of lemon zest
¾ stick / 85g butter
4 cups / 225g breadcrumbs
½ cup / 110g caster sugar plus 2 tsp for sprinkling
1 ⅓ cups / 170g raisins
¼ tsp nutmeg or mace
5 eggs, well beaten
Cream, to serve
READ MORE: Lemon Tiramisu Recipe
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180C.
2. Add the lemon zest to the milk and simmer for a few minutes to infuse the flavor. Discard the lemon zest and melt the butter in the milk.
3. Pour this mixture over the breadcrumbs and let them stand for 30 minutes, until the bread is thoroughly soaked.
4. Add the sugar, raisins, nutmeg or mace, and beaten eggs to the breadcrumbs. Turn the mixture into a well-greased shallow dish and sprinkle the top with 2 tsp sugar.
5. Bake for 40 – 50 minutes.
6. Serve with cream.
For more traditional recipes that bring culture and history to your kitchen, don’t miss my Cozonac recipe from Romania, or check out Spring Food Traditions Around the World for seasonal inspiration. I love sharing dishes that connect us to places, stories, and people, and this bread pudding is precisely the kind of recipe that does just that.
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