Why it works: Raisin and cinnamon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,390 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-ol, which smells mushroom, earthy. The science ↓
Bread Pudding
Serves 12Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the bread
Heat oven to 175°C (350°F).
Rip bread into small pieces. Cutting into cubes is also okay.
Place into baking dish.
Mix in raisins while filling the dish.
Pour melted butter over the bread.
Make the custard
In a bowl, beat the eggs slightly.
Add the sugar, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. Mix.
Pour mixture over the bread.
Press the bread lightly to help it absorb the mixture, if necessary.
Bake and serve
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.
Remove and let cool.
Serve cold, though warm may also be acceptable. Use a spoon, or cut into squares, to serve.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Vanilla | 1 tsp extract (4ml) | 12 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Raisin + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,390 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
-
Cinnamon + vanillatop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,287 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
-
Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
-
Bread + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Bread
- Forms the body of the pudding and soaks up the custard as it bakes.
- Eggs
- Set during baking to bind the pudding into a soft, sliceable structure.
- Milk
- Hydrates the bread and forms the custard that sets around it.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the custard brown lightly at the surface.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat, giving a softer, more tender crumb.
- Raisins
- Add pockets of chewy sweetness distributed through the pudding.
The step that matters
Pressing the bread into the custard. Dry bread pieces that stay exposed above the liquid will not absorb custard and can burn or stay dry. Even soaking lets the eggs and milk set uniformly during baking.
Swap the raisin
The recipe marks raisin as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (bread, butter, egg, sugar, milk, cinnamon, vanilla):
- Figfits better
- Peachfits better
- Coconutfits about as well
- Raisinthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against bread, butter, egg, sugar, milk, cinnamon, vanilla. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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