Bread Pudding Two Ways: One Savory and One Sweet

Bread puddings have been on my mind since talking with Yotam Ottolenghi, a world-renowned cookbook author on what he cooked during the pandemic. He told us he was cooking lots of savory and sweet bread pudding sides to use up the scraps of sourdough bread, bits of cheese, meats, and veggies from leftovers. If you think about it the bread pudding is as versatile as a frittata for using up leftovers.

What exactly is a bread pudding? Bread pudding is a bread-based casserole popular in many countries’ cuisines. It is made with stale bread and milk or cream, generally containing eggs,  butter, and, depending on whether the pudding is sweet or savory, a variety of other ingredients.  In the Midwest, we tend to use bread in our egg bakes as well making them technically bread puddings also. There is also the “strata” which generally has a few more eggs than a bread pudding and is thought of usually in a savory context but is essentially a bread pudding also.

Whatever you call them – these dishes are perfect for breakfast and brunches as they are generally made ahead and left in the refrigerator overnight so the bread can absorb the eggy custard. They can be served hot but also will sit for a bit at room temperature so having them on a breakfast buffet or a shower luncheon spread also feels right at home.

Try the cheesy bread pudding recipe here or these two Bread Puddings perfect for Mothers Day – One Savory with sausage, sage, spinach, and cheese and one sweet with lemons and blueberries that can be served with blueberry syrup or whip cream

Savory Bread Pudding with Sausage, Sage and Spinach

Yield: 6

Strata is an eggier bread pudding perfect for a savory brunch item

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Ingredients

• 5 cups (1-inch) cubes of sourdough or stale crusty white bread
• i chopped medium size onion
• 1 pound bulk breakfast sausage
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup spinach leaves
• 8 eggs
• 2 cups (2%) milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Cut stale bread into cubes
2. Chop onion and cook onion with sausage and 2 Tablespoons butter over medium heat until cooked through
3. Layer bread, sausage, and spinach in an 8-inch baking dish.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cream, garlic, salt, pepper, and chopped sage then pour over the contents in the baking dish.
5. Sprinkle with cheese on top and chill for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight.
6. Preheat oven to 350
7. Uncover chilled casserole dish and bake until cooked through and golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes.
8. Set aside to let rest for 15 minutes then cut into squares and serve.

Brunchy Blueberry Lemon Bread Pudding

Yield: 12

Bread Pudding Takes a Blueberry Twist for a Brunchy Dish

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Ingredients

• 6 large stale croissants, Brioche or Stale Challah bread cubed (enough for 5-6 cups)
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 1/2 cup cream
• ½ cup granulated white sugar
• 1 log plain goat cheese at room temperature
• 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• zest of one lemon
• 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 8.5 x 12-inch pan. 

2. Place croissant bread cubes in the pan and spread evenly.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, milk, cream, sugar, goat cheese (some will incorporate some will be lumpy when you pour the custard over the bread crumbs - its all fine) maple syrup vanilla, cinnamon, and lemon zest

4. Pour the mixture evenly over the pan of croissant cubes.

5. Sprinkle blueberries evenly over the top.

6. Refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight so the mixture soaks in the custard

7. Bake uncovered at 350 F for 45-50 minutes, or until the top is set.

8. Mix together the powdered sugar and lemon juice to form a glaze - (add a bit of milk or water if the glaze is too thick)

9. Drizzle with a fork over cooled bread pudding or serve with whipped cream and blueberry syrup alongside