With an automatic bread machine, it’s easy to make cinnamon rolls; they’re good for dessert, and a must at brunches and morning get-togethers. However, when there are a lot of food choices, there are sometimes leftovers. Stale cinnamon rolls aren’t really very good, and nobody really wants them to go to waste. This Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding is the perfect way to use the leftovers to create a unique and luscious dessert.

Most bread pudding recipes call for chunks of stale bread which is soaked up with a custard mixture; the texture tends to be a bit soggy, even after baking. While that texture is okay for some palates, there are those who prefer to skip anything soggy. Since I’m one of those, I didn’t make bread pudding for years until I ran across a recipe from a 1970s church cookbook that called for fine stale bread crumbs instead of chunks. I applied that recipe to some stale cinnamon rolls I ground up in my food processor and found that even I loved this new pudding. One of the official Hancock tasters just happened to stop by and he actually licked the bowl.

You can use any type of cinnamon or sweet rolls you have around. I used my favorite Cranberry Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls which are easy since the dough is made in the automatic bread machine. You can use the refrigerator dough kind, bakery rolls, or your favorite homemade recipe. Some warehouse stores also feature pains au chocolat in bags, and those work well for chocolate bread pudding. If you like, you can add some raisins or dried cranberries to your pudding.

12 Serving
5 to 6 cups cinnamon roll crumbs, (finely chop cinnamon rolls with glaze in food processor)

3 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
5 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash salt
1/4 cup sugar


Sweetened whipped cream, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Spray an 8" x 11" glass baking dish with non-stick spray.
3. Spread the crumbs over the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
4. Whisk together the milk, cream, eggs, vanilla, salt, and sugar; pour over the crumbs.
5. Bake 45-50 minutes or until the center is set. Remove from the oven and let cool 15-20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 144 Calories from Fat 90
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 62% Protein 15% Carb. 23%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 10 g
Saturated Fat 6 g
Cholesterol 119 mg
Sodium 91 mg
Total Carbohydrate 8 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 4 g
Protein 5 g

Vitamin A 9% Vitamin C 1% Calcium 0% Iron 2%