Strawberries cooked in a creamy, rich, bread pudding? Yes, please! The recipe below is a novel way to use that flat of strawberries you just couldn’t resist at the farmer’s market. Just like those luscious berries, this dessert is irresistible, and you can enjoy it all season long. It’s a good thing strawberries have a long season — from March or April through August.
Serve this as a dessert with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on top, or with a dollop of vanilla yogurt for a special brunch. You can use just about any bread you like here — French bread, white sandwich bread, challah, or brioche are all great choices. Even better, snatch up those bargain day-old croissants at the bakery and prepare to have your mind blown.
Strawberries and Cream Bread Pudding
8
10 minutes
45 minutes
55 minutes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
7 slices (about 7 ounces) stale sandwich bread, torn into pieces
¾ cup chopped fresh strawberries
3 large eggs
1 ¼ cups milk
¾ cup half-and-half
¼ cup strawberry preserves
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease the sides and bottom of a 9-by-13 inch baking dish with the melted butter.
In the prepared baking dish, toss together the bread and strawberries.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, half-and-half, preserves, sugar, and vanilla to combine well. Pour the mixture over the bread and strawberries in the baking dish, pressing down lightly to make sure that all of the bread is saturated with the milk mixture. Let stand for at least 15 minutes, or as long as overnight.
Bake for about 45 minutes, until the pudding is puffed and golden brown.
