Fresh Berry Bread Pudding Recipes

BLUEBERRY BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Heat oven to 350 F. Butter an 11-by-7-inch baking dish.
• Whisk together the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla and almond flavorings and 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest in a large bowl.
• Add the bread and let the mixture stand for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Toss the blueberries with powdered sugar in another bowl and then fold them into the bread mixture.
• Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Set the baking dish in a larger baking or roasting pan and place it in oven.
• Add about an inch of very hot water to the large outer pan.
• Bake the bread pudding for about 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until it is firm and the top is lightly browned.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Bring the 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat.
• Combine the 3/4 cup of granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt in another saucepan. Blend well.
• Pour the boiling water over the sugar mixture and place it over medium-low heat. Cook until the mixture is thickened and clear, stirring constantly.
• Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and butter. Stir to blend.
• Serve the bread pudding with the lemon sauce or another sauce or topping. Vanilla sauce , blueberry sauce, or bourbon sauce are all good choices.

VERY BERRY BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• NOTE: I have found that people tend to fight over the browned top crust of bread pudding so I solved that problem by baking mine in a 10" round x 4" deep Pyrex casserole, ensuring everyone of receiving a large portion of browned pudding with enough soft pudding underneath. This meant that I had to use a 17" x 13" x 2" deep broiler pan for the Bain Marie or water bath. If you choose to use a different size baking dish, results may vary, such as a longer baking time. My bread pudding ended up being 2.5" deep.
• Directions for bread pudding:.
• Preheat oven to 335 degrees. Fill tea kettle with enough water to fill a 13" x 17" pan, half way up with boiling water. Bring water to boil, then turn down heat to a simmer, for later use. Butter the casserole dish; set aside.
• Place the 2 cups of milk in a large saucepan, uncovered, over medium heat. Let the milk heat in the pan, without stirring, until a skin forms on top and it is scalded. Or, if this makes you uneasy, stir the milk and continue heating until small bubbles form along the edges of the pan. Remove from heat.
• Meanwhile, place the eggs and yolks in a large mixing container with a pouring spout. Beat or whisk briefly, only to mix, not until they are foamy or light. (This beats too much air into the custard)
• Gradually add the sugar, vanilla and almond extracts, ground cinnamon, ground ginger and salt, beating only until well mixed.
• Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, slowly add 1/4 cup amounts of the hot milk to the egg mixture, stirring gently. When 1 cup of warm milk has been added into the egg mixture, add the remaining milk and stir gently. This process is called "tempering", making sure that your eggs don't "scramble" in the pan from the heat of the milk! Set aside custard mixture.
• In a large bowl, tear the Hawaiian rolls apart into large chunks, totaling 6 cups. Using a large mesh strainer, pour your custard mixture slowly over the bread roll cubes. (Straining the custard catches any lumpy egg whites.) Stir very gently, making sure that the bread rolls are all thoroughly coated. Allow to rest in the bowl for 10 minutes. Stir twice.
• While the bread is soaking up the custard, measure out your frozen berries. I'm lucky enough to have a deep freezer so I have individual bags of the berries, but a quality brand of mixed berries with blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and black raspberries can be used. They should NOT be mashed!
• Gently fold the 2 cups of mixed frozen berries into the custard/bread mixture. Pour this into the prepared casserole dish, using a spoon to make sure that the berries are well distributed and that the raspberries are pushed down into the custard, to fill their little centers.
• Place the casserole dish into the broiler pan and place this into the oven, leaving the oven door open. Carefully pour the hot, boiling water into the pan, going up to 1/2 the height of the casserole. NOTE: PLEASE BE CAREFUL! I have a long-necked tea kettle so there is no risk of burning myself. However, if you feel more comfortable filling the broiler pan with the hot water prior to placing it into the oven, do what makes sense for YOU!
• Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until a sharp knife inserted 1 inch into the middle of the custard comes out clean. Carefully remove the broiler pan and place on a heat-proof surface. Lift the casserole out of the water, place it on a wire rack and cool for 1 hour or until a comfortable eating temperature. Allow water in broiler pan to cool, dump out when safe to the touch.
• Serve warm, cool, cold. Plain or with topping of choice. Just enjoy it, however you please!
• Directions for Orange Whipped Cream:.
• Have ALL of your ingredients and equipment ice cold! I store the beaters in the bowl in my frig and have a small dish of the sifted powdered sugar in there, too. (Sifting the powdered sugar after you've measured it eliminates nasty sugar lumps!)
• Remove bowl, beaters, whipping cream and powdered sugar from the refrigerator. Insert beaters into machine, shake whipping cream multiple times to integrate the butter fat; pour into the bowl.
• Starting out at the lowest speed, beat whipping cream until it slightly thickens. Starting out at a lower speed prevents splashing all over.
• Once cream begins to thicken, increase speed to medium high and whip until soft peaks begin to form. Increase speed to high and slowly add the powdered sugar to the whipped cream, being sure to reach all corners of the bowl if doing this with a hand mixer.
• When firm peaks have formed, add vanilla extract and 2-3 drops of orange oil (or orange zest) and blend only until combined, about 10 seconds.
• Serve a dollop of this on top of the still warm Very Berry Bread Pudding. The whipped cream is also good in your coffee, with a dash of cinnamon!

BERRY BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Cut each slice of white bread into thirds. In a nonstick saucepan bring the sugar and water to a boil. Add the blueberries and simmer for 2 minutes until they pop; add raspberries and simmer for a minute or until wilted. Strain them over a bowl. Reserve the fruit and return the strained juices to a skillet. Over high heat reduce the juices until 1 cup remains and cool until room temperature. Blend the syrup with the fruits.
• Oil a 6 cup souffle mold. Line sides with bread strips and spoon fruit and syrup in the middle. Trim the bread on the sides of the bread so they are the same level as the fruits. Cover the fruit with more bread, cover the bread with a plate and place weight on the plate; refrigerate overnight.
• Unmold (if possible) and serve with whipped cream.

FRESH BERRY BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Grill the bread over direct medium heat until toasted and grill marks appear, about 2 minutes, turning once halfway through grilling time. Cut bread into cubes and set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat the eggs until frothy, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and melted butter. Beat until well blended. Add milk, then stir in blackberries and lemon zest. Add bread cubes and toss until mixed well.
• Let rest for about 45 minutes, patting the bread down into the liquid occasionally. Transfer bread and egg mixture to a seasoned cast-iron skillet. Cover bottom of skillet with foil to protect it from soot. Place pan in center of cooking grate and grill over indirect medium heat for 50 to 60 minutes, or until top is well-browned and puffy. Slice and serve warm, with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.