The No. 1 Way To Prevent A Dry Bread Pudding

When made right, bread pudding is moist, flavorful, and comforting. However, if something goes wrong and you accidentally make a common bread pudding mistake, then you might end up with a dessert that is much too dry. Then, suddenly, bread pudding isn't so satisfying and delicious anymore. Luckily, there is one easy way to prevent this from happening: cover the bread pudding while it's baking. 

Because bread pudding takes a good amount of time to cook fully (usually about 45 minutes), mostly due to the amount of eggs in the custard, the bread on top can easily overcook and dry out during the time in the oven. However, we don't want the bread pudding to come out undercooked, either, as a soggy center is just as bad as a burnt top (and many of us appreciate a slightly crisp upper layer).

The real trick is covering the bread pudding for about half of the cook time. This will ensure that the texture comes out perfectly moist — in other words, not too dry and not too runny. Cover the dish with foil before putting it in the oven, set a timer to go off at the halfway mark, then remove the foil for the remainder of the cook time. Voilà; you've pulled off one of the best ways to upgrade your bread pudding!

Now you know why it's important to have foil on hand for bread pudding, but this isn't a guarantee of success. Mix-ups still happen, and it may take some trial and error to get your bread pudding to the perfect consistency, especially since everyone's oven is different. If your pudding still comes out a bit drier than you'd like, this likely means that it needs to be covered for more of the cook time while in the oven — but that doesn't mean that you have to throw out the batch you've already made.

If your bread pudding is just a little on the dry side, it can be salvaged with the help of a delicious dessert sauce. Bread pudding is frequently served with sauce anyway — even though a well-baked one is delicious all on its own — but the right garnish is a must if the consistency is off. One sauce guaranteed to be a hit is a simple vanilla custard sauce, to add to the custardy nature of the dessert and infuse it with some extra sweetness. Or, you could try a homemade chocolate sauce or caramel sauce instead (great with apple cinnamon bread pudding). Even a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream can make a big difference in taste — and make the dessert feel a bit more decadent overall.