Very Berry Bread Pudding Recipes

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!

Steps:

• Vigorously whisk eggs, egg yolks, salt, white sugar, and brown sugar together in a large bowl until mixture turns light and frothy, about 1 minute. Add vanilla, cinnamon, lemon zest, milk, and cream; whisk to combine. Toss in bread slices and press down until they start to soften and are submerged. Let sit, pressing down occasionally with a spatula, until custard has been absorbed, about 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Brush 2 tablespoons melted butter in the bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Grab a few intact bread slices from the top of the bowl if possible and set aside. Transfer 1/2 of the remaining soaked bread into the prepared baking dish. Don't worry if it's falling apart, it should be; if not, break it up into pieces. Add blueberries and spread with your fingers to press them down into the bread. Add remaining bread pieces in an even layer, then top with the reserved slices. Pour any remaining custard batter over top and brush with remaining melted butter.
• Transfer bread pudding onto a baking sheet and place in the center of the preheated oven. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 1 hour. Let sit for at least 20 to 30 minutes before serving.
• Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Butter and sugar 6 (6-ounce) ramekins.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and sugar. Combine well with a whisk - then let it settle so there are no air bubbles on the surface otherwise these will cause lumps in your anglaise.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Tear the brioche up into large pieces using your hands, add to the custard mixture and toss to combine. Equally divide the berries among the ramekins and top with the bread mixture. Gently press down so they are packed evenly. Sprinkle with more sugar, then refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes to let soak.
• Bake for 25 minutes in the center of the oven. The pudding is ready when it has puffed up and the custard is set. The top should be a nice golden color. Remove and allow to cool slightly.
• Make the fondant. In a mixing bowl combine sifted powdered sugar, water, lemon zest and juice.
• Once the pudding has cooled slightly, invert onto an individual serving plate. Drizzle the lemon fondant over warm bread pudding and serve with extra fresh berries.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter the inside of a 3 quart baking dish.
• Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over the berries. Combine the bread and the berries and spread out evenly in the baking dish.
• Combine the milk, eggs, yolks, sugar, Kirsch, allspice and vanilla in a saucepan over very low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Cook for 7 to 9 minutes or until the mixture begins to thicken. Strain through a fine wire mesh strainer and pour over the bread in the baking dish.
• Set the baking dish in a shallow water bath and place the whole setup into the oven. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove and cool.
• When cool, sprinkle the top with the confectioners' sugar and glaze under a hot broiler before serving.

Steps:

• Tear 500g white or wholemeal bread into a large mixing bowl and add 500g mixed dried fruit, 85g mixed peel and 1 ½ tbsp mixed spice.
• Pour in 600ml milk, then stir or scrunch through your fingers to mix everything well and completely break up the bread.
• Add 2 beaten large eggs, 140g light muscovado sugar and zest of 1 lemon, if using. Stir well, then set aside for 15 mins to soak.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and line the base of a 20cm non-stick square cake tin (not one with a loose base).
• Stir the melted butter into the pudding mixture, tip into the tin, then scatter with demerara.
• Bake for 1½ hrs until firm and golden, covering with foil if it starts to brown too much. Turn out of the tin and strip off the paper. Cut into squares and serve warm.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375° F. Prepare eight individual soufflé cups (1-cup capacity) with cooking spray. In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the berries to distribute evenly. In another bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk or electric mixer on low speed until frothy. Add the sugar and beat until well blended. Add the half and half, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg and continue beating on low speed until well blended. Fill soufflé cups with bread and berry mixture, mounding it a bit on top. Pour egg mixture over the bread and berries, filling evenly to the rim.
• Place the soufflé cups in large ovenproof baking dish and pour boiling water into the dish until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the soufflé cups. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick placed in the center of the puddings comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool. These can be made one day ahead of the shower; simply refrigerate overnight and serve at room temperature. Just before serving, dust each top with powdered sugar.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan over low heat, warm milk, butter, vanilla, sugar and salt. Continue cooking just until butter melts; cool. Meanwhile, butter a 4-to-6-cup baking dish and fill it with cubed bread.
• Add eggs to cooled milk mixture and whisk; pour mixture over bread. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until custard is set but still a little wobbly and edges of bread have browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.