A Delicious Blueberry Bread Pudding from Stale Bread

Blueberry Bread Pudding.

Whenever someone posts a good recipe on Facebook, I share it so I then will have it saved in my Facebook Account.This recipe for Blueberry Bread Pudding is one such recipe.  I don't remember who posted it, but I did remember that I had saved it.  Today I had a bit of stale bread that needed to be used---some brioche and part of a whole wheat baguette--- so I made this.

Blueberry Bread Pudding
Yields 8-10 servings

Ingredients

1 loaf of dense white bread, cubed (about 4-5 cups) (I used brioche and whole wheat bread.)
2 cups milk
2 cups cream (I used half and half)
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
6 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 pint blueberries
1 tablespoon raw (turbinado) sugar*
1 tablespoon butter, to coat the dish

Topping Ingredients
¼ cup raw (turbinado) sugar*
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Directions
Gently heat the cream, milk, sugar and salt in a heavy bottomed pot until it is just about to boil. Remove from heat. Meanwhile, mix together the eggs, vanilla and ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon in a large bowl. Slowly pour the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture, stirring constantly so that the eggs don’t scramble. Add the cubed bread to the custard, toss together and put aside.

Heat cream, milk, and sugar. 

Mix eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon.

Add egg mixture to milk mixture slowly so eggs will not scramble.

Add bread cubes.

In another bowl, add a tablespoon of the raw sugar to the blueberries, and mash together so that there is mix of mashed and whole blueberries. Let the blueberries and the sugar sit for a few minutes, allowing juices to collect. Mix the blueberries into the pudding well, and put the whole thing in the refrigerator for at least an hour so that the bread can fully soak up the custard.

Crush part of the blueberries. 

Mix blueberries into the pudding mixture.  Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a large baking dish.** Pour the bread pudding mixture into the dish. Sprinkle the pudding with the cinnamon and sugar. Cover the pudding with foil and bake for 45 minutes, until the center is set. Remove the foil and cook for another 20 minutes. At the very end, put the pudding under the broiler for another 1-2 minutes to crisp up the top of the pudding. Let the pudding sit for at least a half hour before serving. Serve it up with vanilla ice cream, and you’ll be in heaven.

Ready for the oven.

Out of the oven.

With vanilla ice cream ready to eat. 

* If you only have regular white sugar, that’s fine. The raw sugar creates a better crunchy crust, but it is not a big enough difference to deter you from making this recipe!
** The pudding puffed up a great deal while baking, I would recommend using a large baking dish, and putting a baking sheet underneath to catch any wayward pudding or blueberries.

\

Our Neighbor, Martin, the Pastry Chef

Martin arrives with pastry board ready to demonstrate making German pastry.

Martin, in his early years in Germany, worked as a pastry chef at a Mercedes Manufacturing Plant where he supervised the fine pastry department of the employee cafeteria that served lots of workers.  But then he took a 25 year break from baking and pursued other careers.  Recently, here in Cape Breton, Martin  renewed his interest in baking and began selling his breads, pies, and pastries at the various farmer's markets of the area. Cape Bretoners are fortunate that Martin has once again found his passion for baking.   I asked Martin if he would come over and show me how to make German pie pastry, and so he and Gabi were here on Sunday morning after their morning walk.

Martin's tools: pastry board, rolling pin, scales, device for pricking bottom of crust.

Martin came prepared with all of his accoutrements for making pastry and with his recipe which he calls 1, 2, 3, pastry.  One part sugar, two parts butter, and three parts flour.

100 grams of sugar carefully weighed.

Butter and flour added.

 He carefully measured out the ingredients by weight rather than volume.  For one pie crust he used 100 grams of sugar, 200 grams of butter, and 300 grams of flour.


He added a pinch of salt, a pinch of baking powder and a squeeze of lemon juice.

He carefully worked the butter into the flour and sugar without handling too much.

Cutting the butter into the flour and sugar.

Ready to roll.

He then formed the dough into a flat round.  If it is too soft he says to cool it down in the fridge before rolling it out.

When he had the dough rolled out to the proper size, he slipped a round piece of sheet aluminum under it to transfer it to the pie plate.

Aluminum for slipping under rolled pie crust to transfer to pie plate.

Before putting in the filling, blueberry in this case, he spread a thin layer of apricot preserves on the bottom (for flavor) and topped this with a thin layer of sweet bread crumbs (to absorb juice from the fruit and prevent the bottom from becoming soggy).

Apricot preserves and sweet bread crumbs on bottom of pastry.

In goes the filling.  Bake at 350 for 45 to 50 minutes.

Blueberry filling.

Cool and top with a cream cheese and whipped cream topping and enjoy.

Yum!

When I get back to Raleigh, I'm going to practice making this kind of German pie crust.  It is so good.

Blueberry Cream Pie

Blueberry Cream Pie

I mentioned in a recent post, Lunch With Bob and Sally, that I had gotten the recipe for the blueberry cream pie that Sally made for dessert.  So the other day I made one, and I will share the recipe with you.

    Blueberry Cream Pie
    (From Sally Kendall)

1 (9 inch) deep dish unbaked pie crust ( I had puff pastry that I needed to use and used it for the crust.)
1 quart blue berries
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons minute tapioca
3 tablespoons flour
6-7 pats butter

Put berries in pie crust
Mix sugar, tapioca, and flour
Sprinkle over berries, lifting to coat all; dot with butter
Bake at 375 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.  Cool.

Filling of pie ready for oven.

Filling of pie just out of oven.  Cool in fridge.

Topping:
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons cream or yogurt
2 cups sweetened whipped cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix cream cheese, with cream and powdered sugar.  Fold into whipped cream and vanilla.  Spread over cooled filling and refrigerate.

Ready to eat.  So yummy.

 Thanks to Sally for this tasty recipe.