Whether your family celebrates Thanksgiving breakfast or Thanksgiving dinner – this bread pudding is a holiday must!
As a young married couple, everyone wants to see us during the holidays, and it’s hard to manage our time between two families. Fortunately, my parents and my in-laws live less than four hours from each other. We are able to spend Thanksgiving morning with my in-laws and Thanksgiving evening with my parents. We don’t like arriving empty handed to either event so we've found the perfect treat to enjoy in both the morning and the evening.
This blackberry and white chocolate bread pudding has quickly become our signature dish. I must admit, these ooey gooey delights take a long time to prepare but we've learned a secret I have to share with you! You can prepare this holiday treat the night before and heat it up right before it's time to eat. My husband discovered this secret a few years ago because he was tired of waking up at 5:00 AM on Thanksgiving morning - yuck! Now, we spend the evening before Thanksgiving preparing our bread puddings to ensure we have a little time to ourselves before the festivities begin.
With the excitement of the busiest cooking day of the year, we've learned that preparing our food the night before is the best way to enjoy the holiday. Enjoy this scrumptious blackberry bread pudding and have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Ingredients
Bread Pudding:2 loafs fresh ciabatta, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 pint California Giant blackberries, cut in half widthwise
1 quart half and half
1 quart heavy cream
2 cup sugar, divided
23 egg yolks
2 T vanilla extract
1 bag white chocolate chips
½ cup powdered sugar
2 T milk
4 California Giant blackberries
2 bread loaf pans or 9x13 pa
Large casserole dish that is bigger than your choice of pan
1 blender
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees
Cut ciabatta loaves into 1 inch cubes, spread evenly on a sheet trays, and dry in oven for approximately 30 minutes. The goal is to dry out the cubes where they are almost like a crouton on the outside, but still JUST a bit soft on the inside.
Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pot, combine 1 cup sugar, cream, half and half, and vanilla and whisk until well incorporated. Heat over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until right before it simmers.
In a large bowl, vigorously whisk the eggs yolks with 1 cup sugar until they are pale yellow and frothy.
Once the cream mixture is ready, SLOWLY drizzle a little bit at a time into the bowl of egg mixture while whisking continually. This tempers the eggs so that they don’t scramble from the high heat of the cream mixture. Continue to drizzle in the cream mixture until all incorporated.
Pour back into the sauce pot, and cook on LOW until it starts to thicken to a loose pudding consistency, about 10 minutes. STIR FREQUENTLY. You will know when it is ready when you dip a wooden spoon in the mixture and then draw your finger down the back of the spoon. If the liquid quickly runs back together, keep cooking. If it stays separated, it’s ready!
Slightly cool mixture and then strain through a fine mesh strainer. Next, toss with bread cubes in a bowl.
Let soak for 5 minutes, tossing every minute.
Once ready, stir in 1 bag of white chocolate chips.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Divide the bread/chocolate mixture into two large bread loaf pans OR 1 9x13 casserole dish. Pour about half of the mixture in the pan, sprinkle evenly with halved blackberries, then place the rest of the bread mixture on top.
Place the pan(s) into a slightly larger dish and fill the second dish with water so that it fills up about halfway up the side of the dish with the bread in it. This creates a water bath and allows the bread mixture to properly cook in the custard without drying out.
Bake, covered with foil, for 30 minutes. Remove foil, bake for another 10-15 minutes or until center is bubbling/hot.
Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
Drizzle with the blackberry icing and serve!
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