Blueberry bread pudding is a soft and buttery baked custard and bread dessert filled with tart blueberries. This quick and easy blueberry pudding bread can be topped with sweet and creamy lemon curd for the perfect spring and summer breakfast or dessert.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I love a good dessert for breakfast recipe. My Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce, Cinnamon Rolls and Apple Pie Filling, Banana French Toast and Cinnamon Rolls with Heavy Cream are just a few of the many that I love making when I want an extra special breakfast treat. This berry bread pudding recipe is no exception. Here are a couple reasons I know you’ll reach for this easy pudding bread over and over again.
- Easy to make, bake and eat: This rich and buttery bread blueberry pudding tastes like something you could find in a restaurant or bakery, but you may be surprised to learn just how simple it is to make! This quick and easy recipe comes together in about 10 minutes. All you have to do after mixing all the ingredients is to let them sit while the oven preheats, bake it, top with your preferred topping ( I love lemon curd) and enjoy!
- Perfectly cozy and made for spring holiday breakfasts or desserts. There’s nothing more satisfying than enjoying a deliciously indulgent dessert for breakfast everyone will love. This simple blueberry bread pudding is the perfect easy to make breakfast or dessert treat.
Ingredients
This easy bread pudding with blueberries recipe requires only a handful of simple ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your pantry and fridge.
Gather buttery bread, milk, heavy cream, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and blueberries. To top the pudding as shown in the recipe, lightly dust with powdered sugar and drizzle store bought or homemade lemon curd right before serving.
Substitutions
This blueberry pudding bread is as easy to make as it is delicious. Here are my recommended substitutions if you need them.
- Buttery Bread: The best bread pudding uses buttery bread like brioche bread, challah bread, croissants or french bread. Use the one you like the most and already have on hand. This recipe needs 16 ounces or 454 grams of bread cut into 1 inch cubes.
- Heavy Cream: Use an equal amount of half and half if needed.
- Milk: Whole milk is preferred, but feel free to use any milk you like. The milk and sugar can be replaced by 2 cups sweetened condensed milk.
- Eggs: Bread pudding needs eggs. Therefore, this ingredient can not be substituted for this bread pudding with sauce recipe.
- Granulated Sugar: This recipe calls for granulated sugar. Light brown sugar works well as a substitute. Maple sugar is a wonderful refined sugar free alternative.
- Vanilla Extract: This gives a lovely flavor boost to this spring bread pudding. Omit if you don’t have any on hand.
- Blueberries: Fresh or frozen blueberries work well in this recipe. If you decide to use frozen blueberries, mix them in right before baking the pudding. Keep in mind that the baking time will be a bit longer.
Variations
- Optional Mix-Ins: Add up to 1 cup of slivered almonds for some nutty crunch or white chocolate chips for a more dessert focused bread pudding.
- Caramel Sauce: Drizzle homemade or store bought caramel sauce on top of the bread pudding while warm from the oven.
- Vanilla Sauce: Follow the vanilla sauce recipe from my Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce recipe for a sauce that tastes similar to creme anglaise but is even easier to make.
- White Chocolate Sauce: Pour 1 cup (240 ml) warm heavy cream over 10 oz. of white chocolate chips until melted. Gently stir together until smooth and pour over the warm blueberry pudding.
- Blueberry Jam Topping: Mix 1 cup blueberry jam or preserves with 1 cup blueberries in a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until the blueberries have started breaking down and the mixture is well combined. Spoon over the warm bread pudding with berries.
How To Make
Learn how to make blueberry bread pudding in a few easy steps.
- Pour a tablespoon (15 ml) of melted butter into the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Evenly coat the bottom and sides of the casserole dish with the melted butter. Add the cubed pieces of brioche, croissant, challah or french bread into the prepared baking dish. Set aside for now.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs together until well combined. Whisk in the milk, heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Pour the vanilla custard over the cubes of bread in the baking dish. Gently mix the the bread in the custard until each cube of bread is coated in the creamy liquid. If using fresh blueberries, mix the them in now. If using frozen blueberries, wait to mix them in until right before baking. Allow the bread pudding mixture to rest and soak in the custard while the oven preheats.
4. Move the center rack to the position right below the center of the oven ( in the lower third of the oven). Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C) for 30 minutes before baking. Bake the blueberry custard bread pudding for 50 - 70 minutes. The bread and custard filling should puff up. A toothpick inserted into the center of the pudding should come out clean or with a few crumbs. Once the berry bread pudding has finished baking, cool the dish for 10 - 15 minutes before serving. Right before serving, dust with powdered sugar, drizzle some warm lemon curd or maple syrup on top. Bread pudding can be enjoyed very warm from the oven, at room temperature or chilled from the fridge.
How To Store, Freeze, Thaw and Reheat
- Store: Fully cool the baked bread and blueberry pudding. Cover the dish with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Fully cool the baked bread pudding. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and a layer of foil. Store in the freezer for up to 1 month.
- Thaw and Reheat: Transfer the entire bread pudding dish (or pre sliced pieces) to the fridge to thaw overnight. Reheat the blueberry pudding by baking it in a 350 F (177 C) oven until warmed though or slice into pieces and heat through in the microwave.
M’s Expert Tips
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature: This allows the ingredients to mix together more evenly and easily resulting in a smoother custard filling.
- Evenly cube the brioche or challah bread: 1- 2 inch pieces are the perfect size for baking and eating the best bread pudding.
- Use a 9x13 casserole dish. This bread pudding really puffs up while baking so make sure to use the correct size dish. For this recipe use a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) oven safe dish. If you need to use a smaller dish, cut the recipe in half and bake this in an 8 x 8 (20 cm) dish for about 30 - 35 minutes.
- Top the warm bread pudding with your favorite toppings. Although this dish tastes amazing without toppings, I love topping my this particular bread pudding with blueberries with lemon curd or maple syrup. Chopped nuts, more fresh berries or whipped cream would also be delicious toppings.
FAQs
This can happen when the bread isn’t hearty or hefty enough to support absorbing the custard. Breads such as challah, brioche, french bread or sourdough work well for bread pudding.
Yes, old fashioned bread pudding is best made with day old, stale bread. Fresh bread will soak up too much of the custard and will become mushy. Stale bread soaks up just enough custard to retain its shape and still bake up into a delicious bread pudding.
Bread pudding takes about an hour to bake. The top should be golden brown and no custard should seep through when the center of the bread pudding is gently pressed down.
Any firm fresh fresh or frozen berry will work well to make this bread pudding with berries recipe. Just make sure not to thaw the berries before baking if you need to use frozen berries instead of fresh.
Other Blueberry Recipes
If you try this BlueberryBread Pudding Recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! -M
Blueberry Bread Pudding Recipe
Equipment
- 1 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) baking dish
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 bread knife optional
Ingredients
- 1 pound (454 g) day old buttery bread, cubed
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream, room temperature
- 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk, room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla extract
- 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- 2 - 3 tablespoons (15 - 23 g) powdered sugar for topping optional
- ¼ cup (60 ml) lemon curd for topping optional
Instructions
- Pour a tablespoon (15 ml) of melted butter into the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Evenly coat the bottom and sides of the casserole dish with the melted butter. Add the cubed pieces of brioche, croissant, challah or french bread into the prepared baking dish. Set aside for now.1 pound (454 g) day old buttery bread, cubed
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs together until well combined. Whisk in the milk, heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract until well combined.4 large eggs, room temperature, 2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream, room temperature, 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk, room temperature, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla extract
- Pour the vanilla custard over the cubes of bread in the baking dish. Gently mix the the bread in the custard until each cube of bread is coated in the creamy liquid. If using fresh blueberries, mix the them in now. If using frozen blueberries, wait to mix them in until right before baking.2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- Allow the bread pudding mixture to rest and soak in the custard while the oven preheats. Move the center rack to the position right below the center of the oven ( in the lower third of the oven). Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C) for 30 minutes before baking.
- Bake the blueberry custard bread pudding for 50 - 70 minutes. The bread and custard filling should puff up. A toothpick inserted into the center of the pudding should come out clean or with a few crumbs.
- Once the berry bread pudding has finished baking, cool the dish for 10 - 15 minutes before serving. Right before serving, dust with powdered sugar, drizzle some warm lemon curd or maple syrup on top. Bread pudding can be enjoyed very warm from the oven, at room temperature or chilled from the fridge.2 - 3 tablespoons (15 - 23 g) powdered sugar for topping, ¼ cup (60 ml) lemon curd for topping
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