Remember HomeTown Buffet? When I was a kid, we lived right across from one that we used to frequent. It used to be such a treat to go there and be able to eat whatever and however much you wanted. Although…there was always one item I stayed away from and that was bread pudding.
I didn’t understand why people would eat bread and pudding together. The concept didn’t appeal to my young taste buds. Well, don’t knock it till make it yourself!
As with most desserts, I found traditional bread puddings to be extremely sweet and inedible. There’s no need to add in all that sugar; a little goes a long way, people!
BLUEBERRY CROISSANT BAKE
INGREDIENTS (serves 6-8, cook time 45 – 60 minutes)
- 6 to 8 croissants
- 2 cups half & half
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 to 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 2 tbsp sliced almonds (optional)
PREPARATION
- Preheat oven to 350°F and butter/grease your baking dish.
- Tear croissants into bite sized pieces and set aside.
- In a bowl, add half & half, milk, vanilla extract, salt, sugar, and eggs together. Whisk it good. Real good.
- Place croissant pieces in custard mixture and make sure it’s completely covered up and soaked in the liquid.
- Transfer a quarter at a time and layer in some blueberries.
- Let it rest for 5 minutes to allow the croissants to soak up the custard.
- Add a few blueberries and almonds on top. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Make sure there’s enough room so that the croissants don’t touch the foil. It will rise.
- Remove foil and bake until custard is set in place and the blueberry juices are showing. Should be another 20 to 30 minutes. If it’s still a little jiggly when you take it out of the oven, bake it for another 10 minutes until it no longer moves.
- Serve warm with a dusting of powdered sugar and more berries!
Don’t worry so much about measurements for this recipe. If you end up having too much custard, it’ll be ok because it’ll bake into the croissant.
I typically make this for brunch, but it can easily double as dessert. Serve it with low-sugar vanilla ice cream or dairy-free coconut ice cream or a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream.
Shoot, I’m hungry now…
More Than A Craving 