White Chocolate & Blueberry Bread Pudding

Anyone who is a fan of bread pudding agrees that this recipe may be the best there is. I’ve been making it for many years, serving it at dinner parties, picnics, and brunch buffets. Both fresh and dried blueberries go in the mix, since the fresh berries offer a bright and sweet burst of flavor and the dried berries add tartness. Be sure to use good quality white chocolate chips and don’t skimp on the Amaretto Cream Sauce. Both the bread pudding and the sauce should be served warm, and if there are any leftovers, both keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Just reheat in the microwave.

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Ingredients

Serves 8-10

Bread Pudding:

• 6 cups torn egg bread, crust removed

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 tablespoons 

• 3 large eggs

• 4 cups half and half

• 1 cup packed light brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1 cup white chocolate chips

• 1 cup fresh blueberries

• 1/2 cup dried blueberries

• 1 lemon, zested and juiced

• 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds

Amaretto Cream Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• ¼ cup Amaretto liqueur

• 1 ½ cups heavy cream

• ¼ cup granulated sugar

Process

Bread Pudding:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place torn bread on a baking sheet and let sit out to dry at least 4 hours or overnight. Alternatively, you can put the torn bread into the oven at 200 degrees for 45 minutes to dry (the dry bread will absorb the custard better). Butter a 9X13” baking dish with 2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in the half and half, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Add the bread, chocolate, blueberries, and dried blueberries, lemon zest, lemon juice, and almonds; stir in butter and mix well. Let sit for 30 minutes so the bread will absorb the egg mixture. You may need to add more half and half so the mixture is very moist, like a thick cake batter. Pour into the prepared dish. Bake until firm when pressed in the center, about 1 hour.  

Amaretto Cream Sauce:

In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the Amaretto and whisk until smooth. In a medium saucepan, heat cream and sugar over medium heat. Add the Amaretto mixture to the hot cream and whisking constantly, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook, whisking for 30 seconds. Let cool to room temperature before serving with the bread pudding.