Blueberry Croissant Bread Pudding

What better way to end your day with a warm Blueberry Croissant Bread Pudding? Buttery & rich with fresh blueberries & creme anglaise. It can be easily reheat for the next day too!

Hello all, it’s me! I’m sorry for missing in action for a bit. We’re being forced out of our home and currently living in a hotel.

Long story short, our air conditioning unit was leaking, which damaged the dry wall and wood flooring surrounding the area. The flooring we have covered most of our unit, from bedroom to living room and from dining room to kitchen. Therefore, the whole flooring has to be ripped out and replaced.

So we have been busy moving out with the help of movers, scheduling various appointments, and meeting all kind of people in our condo. Good news is that most of the cost should be covered by insurance. That is a relief!

In the meantime, we’re getting comfortable in our hotel. It’s a smaller space, but I’m happy that there is a stove, oven, dish washer, desk & Netflix. We’re taking it easy and trying to stay positive. It’s going to take a while before we can move back.

Life must go on, right? I’m not giving on blogging. I’m planning to work on a few recipes with limited ingredients, tools and space. If I can do it in a hotel’s kitchen, you know it can be easily done at home. ?

This Blueberry Croissant Bread Pudding is buttery, rich with a few fresh blueberries and a crispy crust. It makes a comforting dessert to end the day. Not to forget that creamy creme anglaise, it complements the bread pudding really well. Little sweet & vanilla-y.

Creme anglaise means “English cream” in French. It’s a vanilla custard sauce. It’s usually served with fruit or dessert. It’s made with egg yolks, heavy cream, milk, sugar & vanilla bean. Cook until the mixture is slightly thicken, but still runny. For best result, make this a day ahead and let it chill in the fridge for 24 hours.

The bread pudding itself is very simple. Just slice the croissants, tuck them in a baking dish and pop a few blueberries in between. Whisk together a custard sauce and pour over. Bake and done.

I love how this bread pudding was so easy to make. Compare to other bread pudding, croissant version gives a flakier and crispier crust. That is no doubt the best part! We love it! Hope you do too!

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5 from 1 vote

Blueberry Croissant Bread Pudding

Course Dessert

Keyword baking, blueberry bread pudding, bread pudding, bread pudding with creme anglaise, croissant bread pudding

Author Lokness

Ingredients

• ½ tablespoon unsalted butter
• 3 croissants (preferably stale)
• ¾ cup fresh blueberries
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup whole milk
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon plus ¾ teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
• 2 teaspoons powdered sugar (optional)

Créme Anglaise:

• ½ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup whole milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or 1 plumped vanilla beans (split lengthwise, scraped out seed)
• 3 large egg yolks
• ¼ cup sugar

Instructions

• The day before, start with the crème anglaise. In a small saucepan, add heavy cream, milk, vanilla bean seeds with pod or vanilla bean paste. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover with a lid and turn off the heat. Let it sit for about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, fill with ice cubes. Set aside a smaller bowl that can hold the finished cream and fit on top the bowl of ice.
• In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow. While whisking, slowly pour in ¼ of the hot cream mixture. Once combined, add the rest of the cream in a steady stream. Remove and discard bean pod if using. Return the saucepan to the stove and set over medium heat. Cook until reaches 180˚F (82˚C) or the mixture thickens enough to fully coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Pour the cream into the smaller bowl. Set the bowl into the ice bath (larger bowl with ice). Stirring frequently until the mixture is cool completely. Transfer the cream to an air-tight container. For best result, chill in the fridge for 24 hours.
• For the bread pudding, preheat the oven to 350˚F (177˚C). Place a large piece of aluminum foil on the oven rack to catch any dripping. Grease a 2-cup baking dish with ½ tablespoon unsalted butter.
• Cut the croissants into ½-inch slices lengthwise with a sharp serrated knife. Layer the croissant slices into the baking dish. If needed, cut into smaller slices to fit better. Place the blueberries in between the slices.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together heavy cream, whole milk, vanilla extract, eggs, sugar (except for turbinado sugar). Carefully pour the custard over the croissant & blueberries until the batter almost reaches the rim of the baking dish. It may take a few minutes for the croissant to absorb all the liquid. It’s perfectly ok that the top part of the croissant is not submerged. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar all over the pudding.
• Bake in the oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the pudding puffs up and the custard is set. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm with crème anglaise.

Notes

1. Crème anglaise can be stored in the fridge for 1 week.
2. Stale croissants can absorb more liquid. I just bought them 1 day ahead.
3. The baking dish I used is 7½-inch in diameter and 1-inch deep. You can use any similar baking dish that holds 2-cup of liquid.
4. You can use frozen blueberries instead of fresh. Place them in a bowl of cold water for 4 minutes to thaw before use. Pat dry slightly with paper towels.
5. The bread pudding would expand and puff up during baking. To catch any dripping, make sure to put a large piece of aluminum foil under your baking dish.
6. Leftover can be reheat in 350˚F oven. Cover with foil and bake for 14 minutes, then uncover and bake for 6 more minutes. 

(Crème anglaise recipe adapted from Dorie Greenspan via NYT Cooking.)

(Bread pudding recipe adapted from Mon Petit Four.)