Stovetop & Oven

Blueberry Bread Pudding with Maple Mascarpone Sauce

Name: Blueberry Bread Pudding with Maple Mascarpone Sauce
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 85 min
Ingredients: Unsalted butter (to grease the pan); 6 eggs; ¾ cup brown sugar; 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; Pinch ground nutmeg; Pinch salt; 3 cups milk; 1 pound loaf challah or brioche bread (cut into 1-inch cubes (12 cups)); 1½ cups blueberries; 2 tablespoons sliced almonds; 8 ounces mascarpone cheese; ¼ cup maple syrup

Bread pudding is more than just a good way to use up stale bread. It's a delicious dessert, or even breakfast if you're feeling indulgent. This blueberry bread pudding is topped with a maple mascarpone sauce, just to make it that much better!

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A wooden spoon lifting a piece of blueberry bread pudding out of a baking dish.

Easy Bread Pudding

One of the best things about this blueberry bread pudding is that it’s incredibly easy to make. You don’t need any special equipment, just a few simple ingredients, a baking dish and an oven. The key is to use stale bread, as it absorbs the custard mixture better than fresh bread, but it’s not critical. You can also use any type of bread, but brioche or challah bread are particularly good for bread pudding.

Challah bread being cut into cubes with a blue jean chef bread knife on a cutting board with a blue countertop.

Brioche or Challah Bread Pudding

Brioche or challah bread are both types of rich, buttery bread that make for a decadent bread pudding. They have a soft and fluffy texture that holds up well in the custard mixture. You can either use store-bought bread or make your own for an extra special touch. If you’re making your own bread, make sure to let it cool completely before using it in the bread pudding. If you’re using store-bought, cut it into cubes and let it dry out for several hours or even overnight. If you’re in a rush and haven’t thought that far ahead of time, not to worry. You’ll just soak the bread for less time and remember to dry the bread next time.

Bread cubes in a bowl of egg custard with a wooden spoon sticking out of it, a small bowl of blueberries and a ceramic baking dish near by.

Soaking Time

If your bread is stale or dried well, let it soak in the custard mixture for at least 30 minutes before assembling and baking. This allows the bread to absorb the mixture and become soft and custardy. If you want an even more decadent dessert, you can let it soak for up to an hour or overnight in the refrigerator. Just make sure to cover it with plastic wrap so that it doesn’t dry out. If your bread is fresher, just soak it in the custard for 10 minutes or so and make sure to pour any excess custard over the top of the pudding before baking.

An unbaked blueberry almond bread pudding in a ceramic baker.

Other ingredients to Add

This variation of the classic bread pudding recipe includes blueberries and almonds, but there are many variations you can try to make it your own. Here are a few ideas:

Add lemon zest to the custard mixture to create the classic lemon blueberry flavor combo.
Use frozen blueberries instead of fresh for a more intense blueberry flavor.
Add a teaspoon of cinnamon or nutmeg to the custard mixture for a warm spice flavor.
Use raspberries or chunks of peaches instead.
Add chunks of chocolate instead of blueberries and hazelnuts instead of almonds.

blueberry bread pudding in a yellow ceramic baking dish with mascarpone sauce and a wooden spoon next to it.

Sauce for Bread Pudding

While blueberry bread pudding is delicious on its own, it’s even better with a sauce. A classic sauce for bread pudding is a simple vanilla custard sauce, but this recipe has an even easier solution – maple mascarpone sauce. It is simply mascarpone cheese (an Italian cream cheese), melted and stirred together with maple syrup. Drizzle that over the top of the bread pudding while it is still warm. It’s not only pretty, but delicious too.