Strawberry bread pudding is an easy and flavorful dessert perfect for spring! Bake fresh strawberries and challah bread with a creamy egg and milk custard. This recipe is a simple and delicious dessert or a fun breakfast. A great spring-time twist on a classic dessert!
In a medium saucepan, add the ingredients for the strawberry sauce. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the strawberries start to break down but are still mostly chunky, and the sauce is starting to thicken up.
Allow to cool to room temperature while you work on the next step. You can refrigerate this for up to two days.
Custard
In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, and butter. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter melts.
Remove from the heat and let it cool while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. It doesn’t need to be room temperature, but you don’t want it super hot, either.
Crack the eggs into a large bowl and whisk together.
Slowly (about ¼ cup at a time), whisk in the warm milk mixture. You want to slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the eggs and whisk each addition really well before slowing adding the next addition. This will help to gently warm the eggs and combine them without cooking them. We do not want scrambled eggs, so go slowly!
Continue slowly whisking in the warm milk until it is all combined with the eggs.
Assembly
Butter a 9x13 casserole dish.
Cut the challah into 2” cubes and place in the prepared casserole dish.
Pour the strawberry sauce over the bread cubes and toss a little to mix.
Evenly pour the milk mixture over the bread and strawberries.
Using a wooden spoon or spatula, gently press the bread cubes down into the egg mixture. You don’t need to smash them down. Just make sure they are squashed a little into the milk mixture.
Baking
At this point, you can either refrigerate the bread pudding for up to 24 hours, or you can bake it right away.
Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the custard is set and the bread is starting to turn golden. If you are baking after refrigerating it, make sure you bring the bread pudding up to room temperature while the oven preheats.
Allow to cool. You can serve this warm, at room temperature, or you can refrigerate it and serve it cold.
Video
Notes
Variations: You can add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, pecans, or shredded coconut to the bread pudding with the strawberry sauce. Substitutions: You can substitue the challah with any rich bread - brioche, croissants, sourdough bread, or even leftover hamburger or hotdog buns.To Serve: Serve with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. You can serve warm, room temperature, or cold from the fridge. Storage: Store in an air tight container in the refridgerator for 3-4 days.