Bread Pudding Recipes

Strawberry Bread Pudding

• 4 C. (about 8 oz.) stale egg or white bread cubes (1-inch)
• 2 1/2 C. (about 12 oz.) coarsely chopped stemmed strawberries
• 2 C. half-and-half
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 C. sugar
• 1 T. vanilla extract
• 1/8 t. salt
• 1/2 C. prepared caramel or butterscotch sauce, warmed
• Sweetened whipped cream
• Whole strawberries (optional)

Heat oven to 375° F.Lightly coat 9-inch-square baking pan with cooking spray; set aside.In large bowl, combine bread and strawberries, tossing to combine. Arrange in baking pan; set aside. In medium bowl, whisk together half-and-half, eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt until well-blended; pour over bread mixture. Let stand 10 minutes, pushing bread down into egg mixture occasionally.Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until top is golden brown and knife inserted into center comes out clean.Serve warm with whipped cream, caramel or butterscotch sauce and whole strawberries, if desired.

Serves 9.

White Chocolate Bread Pudding

• 1 loaf brioche, challah or other sweet bread
• 4 oz. butter, melted
• 16 oz. white chocolate, chunked
• 2 C. milk
• 2 C. heavy cream
• 2/3 C. sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split
• 8 large eggs

Preheat oven to 325° F. Cut the brioche loaf into 1-inch dice. Place in a 2-quart baking dish.Drizzle with melted butter. Toss chunked white chocolate with bread cubes. Combine milk, cream, sugar and vanilla bean and bring to a boil over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Whisk eggs until smooth. Add hot milk mixture to eggs slowly, stirring constantly. (Do not whisk a lot or custard will have a great deal of foam on the surface.) Skim foam from custard.Strain custard over bread and chocolate. Let stand for 10 minutes to allow custard to soak into bread.Place baking dish in another larger pan. Pour hot water into larger dish to reach 1 inch up side of dish. Bake the bread pudding for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until custard is set and brioche is golden. Yield: 10-12 servings.