Alton Brown Really Wants You To Put Bourbon In Your Bread Pudding

It seems like bread pudding, that beloved dessert made with bread and sweet custard, has been around forever — or at least since the Middle Ages anyway. Meanwhile, bourbon is pretty new by comparison. The corn-based spirit has been distilled in the United States since the late 18th century. What do they have in common? If you were to ask longtime Food Network personality Alton Brown, he might tell you that these two are meant to be together.

It seems that Brown is pretty intent on marrying bourbon and bread pudding. In two separate recipes, he gives you guidelines on how to not only make a bourbon bread pudding but also on how to whip up a bourbon-infused whiskey sauce that he recommends pouring over the dessert. Since both bourbon and bread pudding are hearty and warming, it maybe shouldn't surprise anyone that he would combine these two, but since he's so adamant about the boozy ingredient, it sure seems worth trying yourself to see how these comforting recipes turn out.

Bourbon isn't just for sipping — and Alton Brown is well aware of this fact. His favorite cocktail, after all, is the whiskey-forward boulevardier, and he swears by using rye whiskey in his pecan pie. So, the fact that he gives you more than one way to booze up your bread pudding is more a convenience than anything. Giving your bread pudding the bourbon treatment directly involves not only soaking some dried fruits in your bourbon for 30 minutes or so but also using it in your eggy, sugary custard mixture. However, this isn't booze-heavy. You're only using a total of 3 ounces here.

However, if you want the bourbon atop your bread pudding instead of in it, you can opt for Brown's whiskey sauce. Using eggs, sugar, and milk for a delectable and creamy sauce, you actually don't add the bourbon until the very end — likely to keep the bourbon from evaporating as much as possible. Served warm, this sauce is the perfect accompaniment not only for bread pudding but for a number of desserts. As long as you've got a solid bread like brioche or challah for your bread pudding (and stay away from some less-than-ideal bourbons), you should be in for quite a treat.