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blueberry pecan crunch bread pudding

(2 ratings)
jmas avatar
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
JM Avallone
@jmas
earth, VA

I was in the mood for something with blueberries, cream cheese, so I started reading a ton of recipes and came up with this.

Blue Ribbon Recipe

Wow, now this is bread pudding. It's warm, moist, creamy, and sweet with a burst of tart from the blueberries. The sweet buttery pecan crumble crunch on top just melts in your mouth. There are a few steps to this and it does take a bit of time (most of it while it chills in the fridge), but it's worth the effort. It's divine!

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(2 ratings)
yield 8 -10
prep time 3 Hr
cook time 1 Hr
method Bake

Ingredients For blueberry pecan crunch bread pudding

  • 8 oz
    cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1-2 Tbsp
    lemon zest, grated
  • 3/4 c
    sugar
  • 4
    eggs
  • 2 c
    half and half
  • 1 tsp
    salt
  • 1 Tbsp
    vanilla extract (real)
  • 1 c
    pecans, in pieces
  • 2 c
    fresh blueberries or your favorite berry
  • 1
    loaf of bread, I used challah loaf from gf
  • TOPPING
  • 1 stick
    butter, softened
  • 1-2 c
    brown sugar
  • 1 c
    pecans, in pieces
  • I had 1 cup of sweet brioche I tossed in the topping

How To Make blueberry pecan crunch bread pudding

  • 1
    You can do all these steps the day of just let the custard soaked bread rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes prior to baking. The directions I am giving are for making this overnight. Use any bread you like, any fruit you like. Don't like nuts, leave them out.
  • Challah loaf torn into small pieces in a silver bowl.
    2
    Tear what ever bread you have on hand into one-inch pieces into a bowl. Cover with a paper towel and leave out overnight. Note: My loaf happened to be 18 oz which I think was too much. I added an extra cup of milk to the egg milk mixture it did not look like it was enough for the 18 oz of bread.
  • Creaming butter and brown sugar in a bowl.
    3
    For the topping, cream the one cup of brown sugar with the one stick of butter. You can add another half cup of sugar if you like it sweeter.
  • Adding nuts to creamed sugar and butter.
    4
    Add pecans cover and chill overnight.
  • Additional torn pieces of bread added to creamed butter, sugar and nut mixture.
    5
    You see in this photo a cup or so of bread that I added to the topping mixture? I had a handful of old very sweet brioche bread I bought at Wegmans I did not want to toss out so I thought considering I have reduced the sugar by half in most recipes this might be a good idea. Not necessary of course.
  • Bread pieces mixed into creamed butter, sugar and nuts mixture.
    6
    If using the bread, mix into pecan/butter mixture and chill overnight.
  • Cream cheese, lemon zest, and sugar in a bowl.
    7
    The next day, beat cream cheese, zest, and sugar until creamy.
  • Adding milk to cream cheese/sugar mixture.
    8
    Add milk and beat carefully.
  • Adding vanilla extract to cream cheese mixture.
    9
    Add salt and vanilla. Beat.
  • Adding eggs one at a time to cream cheese mixture.
    10
    Add one egg at a time beating in between each. Set aside. You will want the bubbles that have formed to diminish as much as possible before adding to the bread.
  • Sugar sprinkled into a buttered baking dish.
    11
    Butter a 9x13 glass pan lightly. Then sprinkle turbinado, aka demerara sugar, over the butter lightly. Or, use any sugar you have handy.
  • Assembling the bread and blueberry layer.
    12
    Put a handful of bread covering bottom. Sprinkle some pecans and blueberries.
  • Continuing to layer bread and blueberries.
    13
    I was able to do this three times at the end press bread down.
  • Pouring custard mixture over bread and blueberry layers.
    14
    Pour the egg milk mixture over the entire surface.
  • Completely soaked bread pudding.
    15
    Cover and let sit overnight.
  • Crumble topping added to bread pudding.
    16
    The next day, take the bread pudding and topping out of fridge let the chill come off. Break apart the topping and add to the bread pudding.
  • Baked blueberry bread pudding out of the oven.
    17
    Cook at 350 degrees for 45 - 60 minutes depending on your oven. You do not want to overcook it, so after 35 minutes test it with a knife you want it to come out clean.
  • 18
    I have seen some people top this dish with a sauce of 2 cups of confectioners sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla and 4-6 tsp of water or milk just enough to make a smooth sauce that you can drizzle. Or you can use a dollop of ice cream or whipped topping.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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