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Strawberry Brioche Bread Pudding

Serves 6 - 8
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Ingredients
  

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter divided 1 tablespoon to grease the pan and 2 tablespoons to dot onto the bread pudding before baking
  • 8 ounces brioche bread about five 1+ inch slices
  • 3 extra large eggs
  • 3 cups half and half or use 2 cups whole milk and 1 cup heave cream (I do not recommend low fat milk in this recipe. It needs the richness for a creamy custard texture.)
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
  • 10 medium strawberries halved. About 1-1/4 cups. Use very ripe fruit. A few days past their prime is fine as they will still bake up nicely.
  • Crème anglaise Substitute melted (super-premium, no-fillers or emulsifiers) ice-cream or still frozen ice cream to serve.

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 300° F. Cut the brioche into 1-1/2 inch cubes. Spread the bread cubes in one layer on a 9 x 13-inch baking sheet and bake for about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, turn the cubes and bake for an additional 3-ish minutes until the cubes are dry but still pale. Take care to not get them very browned at this stage. (Brioche’s sugar content means the cubes will brown quickly.). Remove from the oven, set aside. This is all the baking for the time being.
  • Generously butter a 2-quart, shallow baking dish with 1 tablespoon of butter. Select a dish that is no taller than about two inches.  Transfer the brioche bread cubes to the baking dish.
  • Whisk the eggs, vanilla, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Add the half and half and mix to combine thoroughly.
  • Pour the custard over the brioche bread cubes. Nestle in the strawberry pieces, distributing evenly. Press the brioche and strawberries into the custard mixture for even absorption. Cover in plastic wrap and let soak in the refrigerator at least an hour or two, up to overnight is fine.
  • When ready to bake, bring the bread pudding to room temperature or close to it. This helps for even baking. Once at room temperature, position an oven rack in the center position of the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F.
  • Remove the plastic wrap then dot with bits of the remaining two tablespoons of butter.  Cover with aluminum foil, wrapping around the edges of the casserole dish snugly. Cut a few slits in the top to vent.
  • Place the bread pudding-filled casserole dish into a larger pan and fill the larger pan with very hot water to halfway up the sides of the casserole, making a bain marie, common in baking custards. The foil should protect from any water splashing into the bread pudding but avoid splashes in any event. Carefully transfer both to the preheated oven.
  • Bake covered with foil for 40 minutes. At that point, remove the foil and bake an additional 25 – 35 minutes until the bread pudding is golden brown, fully puffed to the center, and the edges just begin to pull away from the sides of the casserole dish. You can also insert a clean, dry knife into the center of the pudding, and test it is done when the knife comes out clean (no eggy coating).
  • Remove (carefully!) and allow to cool slightly. Serve warm with crème anglaise, melted (super-premium) ice cream or still frozen ice cream.