Blueberries and Cream Bread Pudding

Blueberries are delicious when they are in season, jammy with a deep sweetness that you don’t always find in other berries. The most-baked blueberry treats are Blueberry Muffins, hands down. And while I love a great blueberry muffin, there are so many more blueberry treats to try than that breakfast favorite. This Blueberries and Cream Bread Pudding is delicious and summery blueberry dessert option that you can add to your repertoire!

Like most bread puddings, this Blueberries and Cream Bread Pudding starts with lots of cubed bread. You can use a white sandwich bread or a richer bread, such as challah or brioche. The richer breads make an even more indulgent pudding, but most breads will work. The bread doesn’t need to be stale to make a good pudding, even though this is a great use of an older loaf of bread. You will need 1/2 – 2/3 of an average-size loaf.

The bread is combined with heavy cream, milk, eggs, sugar and both vanilla and almond extracts. The combination of heavy cream and milk makes this pudding rich, with a melt-in-your-mouth feel when you take a bite. I always feel like bread pudding should be an indulgent and satisfying dessert, so using some heavy cream is the perfect way to get that texture. Once you have the base put together, blueberries are folded in. I used fresh blueberries and highly recommend using them if they’re in season. Frozen berries can be substituted, but I recommend tossing them in a tablespoon of flour before folding them in so that they don’t bleed into the bread pudding batter.

Once baked, allow the bread pudding to cool before serving it. You can serve it while it is slightly warm for a classic bread pudding presentation, or you can chill it completely for more of a contrast on a hot summer evening. Either way,  I like to add a spoonful of whipped cream to each slice as I plate it. Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator and can be reheated to serve.

Blueberries and Cream Bread Pudding
6 cups cubed bread (preferably challah or brioche), about 1/2 large loaf
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 1/4 cups milk (whole or lowfat)
4 large eggs
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract and salt until ingredients are well combined.
Place the bread cubes into a large bowl and pour the egg mixture over the top. Use the back of a spoon or spatula to gently press the bread down into the custard to make sure that each piece of bread gets a chance to soak up the milk mixture. Allow bread to stand for 10-15 minutes. Fold blueberries into the bread mixture.
Pour pudding mixture into prepared baking dish.
Bake for about 40-45 minutes, until the pudding is set and a sharp knife inserted into the center of the pudding comes out clean.
Let the pudding cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. It can be served warm or cold.

Serves 8-10

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