This is the plain version: day-old brioche or challah soaked for fifteen minutes in eggs, milk, cream, sugar, vanilla and a little cinnamon, then baked until the centre is set.
What makes it is the sauce, a stirred custard of milk, egg yolks and sugar cooked gently until it coats a spoon, with vanilla added off the heat. A few blueberries and a mint leaf are there only for colour.
How to Make It
Dish buttered
Heat oven to 350°F and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
Custard and soak
Whisk the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Add the bread cubes, toss gently and let soak 15 minutes.
Baked to 160°F
Transfer to the dish and bake 40 to 45 minutes until the centre is set and reaches 160°F.
Vanilla sauce stirred
For the vanilla sauce, whisk the milk, egg yolks and sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the sauce coats a spoon and reaches 160°F. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Served in sauce
Serve warm squares of bread pudding with the vanilla sauce. Add blueberries and mint only as garnish.
Two Custards, One Temperature
Both the pudding and the sauce are egg custards.
- SoakBread cubes rest in the custard for 15 minutes.
- Bake40 to 45 minutes at 350°F.
Check before you continue
160°F — Instant-read thermometer
Check the centre of the pudding, then the sauce as it thickens on the stove.
- VanillaStirred into the sauce off the heat.
- ServeWarm squares in a pool of sauce.
Ingredient Notes
- Brioche or challah
- Ten cups of cubes from a loaf a day or two old.
- Egg yolks for the sauce
- Three, which thicken the milk into a pourable custard.
- Blueberries and mint
- A garnish only; they are not baked into the pudding.
Why This Recipe Works
- Day-old enriched bread drinks up the custard without falling apart.
- A fifteen-minute soak means there are no dry cubes in the middle.
- Stirring the sauce constantly over medium-low heat stops the yolks from scrambling.
- Adding vanilla after the heat keeps its flavour bright.
Success Tips
- Strain the vanilla sauce through a fine sieve if any bits of cooked egg appear.
- Take the sauce off the heat as soon as a finger drawn across the spoon leaves a clean line.
- Let the pudding settle for a few minutes before cutting clean squares.
Serving Ideas
Pour a pool of warm vanilla sauce on each plate, set a square in it and finish with a few blueberries and a mint sprig.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Refrigerate the pudding and the sauce separately and promptly; rewarm the pudding gently and serve the sauce warm or cold.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a blueberry bread pudding?
No. The blueberries are a garnish; the pudding itself is plain vanilla custard.
How thick should the sauce be?
Thick enough to coat a spoon, at 160°F, but still pourable.
