Sourdough Bread Pudding
Rich, silky custard balanced with the subtle tang of sourdough. Served with strawberries & whipped cream, it tastes like a cross between French toast and strawberry shortcake.
Servings: 9 servings
Equipment
- 8x8-inch pan (or 2 quart casserole dish)
Ingredients
Bread pudding:
- 6 packed cups (about 13 oz) sourdough bread cubed
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups half & half
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
Strawberries:
- 2 pints fresh strawberries sliced
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 vanilla bean
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Whipped cream (optional):
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350° F and butter an 8x8-inch baking pan.
- Slice & toast bread: Cut or tear bread into chunks or cubes until you have 6 packed cups. They don't have to be perfect (different shapes and sizes are great!). Place in prepared dish and toast in the oven until lightly crisped, about 10 minutes. Cut 2 Tbsp of butter into little pats and dot them on top of the toasted bread. Return to the oven briefly to melt the butter, then toss to coat all the bread with the melted butter.
- Make custard: In a large bowl, whisk the 3 eggs until well blended. Add 2 cups half and half, ½ cup sugar, 1 Tbsp vanilla, and ½ tsp salt until well combined.
- Soak: Pour custard mix over toasted bread, stirring lightly and pressing top pieces gently to submerge so that all the bread gets moistened. Rest for 30 minutes to allow bread to soak up custard.
- Macerate berries: While the pudding soaks, slice 2 pints of fresh strawberries into a large bowl and toss with ¼ cup sugar, the seeds from 1 vanilla bean, and 2 tsp lemon juice. Set aside (fridge or room temperature is fine). The strawberries will get increasingly syrupy and flavorful as they sit.
- Bake (see note): Bake bread pudding at 350° F until custard is baked in the center, about 40-45 minutes. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean and the bread pudding should give just a little bit of jiggle and resistance if you press down on it. Allow to cool at least 30 minutes before slicing.
- Make strawberry sauce: Scoop roughly half of the strawberries out of the bowl and purée them using a food processor or emulsion blender to make a simple sauce. Adjust the thickness to your liking by adding more or less of the strawberry syrup to the sauce.
- Make whipped cream (optional): Whisk together 1 cup heavy cream, 2 Tbsp sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla until soft peaks form.
- Serve: Once bread pudding has cooled, cut into individual servings. I like to slice it into 9 small squares, but you could also choose to serve it as 6 slightly larger servings.Serve slices topped with strawberry sauce, some of the remaining macerated strawberries, and whipped cream.
Notes
For optimal texture, I like to bake my bread pudding in a hot water bath. To do this, place the prepared, soaked bread pudding in a 13x9 pan or any baking pan that's large enough to hold it. Carefully add hot water to the larger pan until it comes about halfway up the sides of the pan the bread pudding is in. You can place a kitchen towel or washcloth underneath the bread pudding so it doesn't slide around. When done baking, carefully remove bread pudding from the water bath to cool on a cooling rack.