Serves a Crowd

Bread Pudding with Prosecco-ed Fruits

November  3, 2017
4.5
2 Ratings
Photo by Mark Weinberg
  • Serves 6-8
Author Notes

If you add a fruit to a glass of sparkling wine for that look and taste, you can do something similar to bread pudding. Just soak lots and lots of fruit in the bubbly and bake it alongside custard and challah (or brioche). Put a piece of Prosecco-ed fruit into your drinking glass, if you'd like, when you serve. It's a showstopper of a dessert. This will work with most fruit, and not just the ones mentioned in this recipe.

Featured In: A Fruity, Festive Bread Pudding With TwistCaroline Choe

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Ingredients
  • Prosecco-ed Fruit
  • 500 milliliters Prosecco (2 cups)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 1 cup raspberries or chopped strawberries (whatever you prefer)
  • 1 orange, sliced with peel and pith removed
  • 1 apple, quartered and sliced thin (peel on)
  • 1 pear, quartered and sliced thin (peel on)
  • 1 lemon, zested & juiced
  • 1 pinch ground cinnamon (optional)
  • Bread and Custard
  • 5 cups challah or brioche, cubed into about 1-inch pieces (let it sit out overnight to get stale)
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • butter, for greasing your baking dish
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (for cinnamon-sugar topping)
Directions
  1. First, prepare the fruit. Start by making a simple syrup: Combine the sugar and water in a small pot over medium-low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let the syrup cool, and transfer it to a mixing bowl that's big enough to hold all your fruit.
  2. To the mixing bowl with the syrup, add in all the prepared fruit, lemon zest, lemon juice, (and your optional pinch of cinnamon), and pour Prosecco on top. Stir gently to combine, then cover and refrigerate for 6-hours (or, at the very least, 3 hours).
  3. Prepare and grease the inside of a large, deep baking dish (enough to hold 3 quarts) with butter. Spread out your cubed challah or brioche at the bottom of the dish.
  4. Make the custard: In another mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, ground cinnamon, and Kosher salt until combined. Using a strainer, extract the boozy-Prosecco fruit from the liquid, and add it to the custard.* Stir gently to combine.
  5. Carefully pour the custard and fruit over the bread cubes, distributing the fruit evenly however you can. Let the bread soak along with the custard and fruit for about 15 to 20 minutes.
  6. In a small shaker jar or bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon until they're fully combined. Sprinkle a layer of the cinnamon-sugar mixture on entire top of the bread pudding.
  7. Before baking, you can line a sheet pan with foil and place it underneath the dish, in case of any drip-down while it rises and cooks. Bake the bread pudding for 50 to 55 minutes, or until you poke a knife in the center and it comes out clean. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve it up and enjoy!
  8. *If there is lots of leftover Prosecco from the steeping process, feel free to add it to a sweet cocktail!

See what other Food52ers are saying.

10 Reviews

maria N. December 31, 2017
Vanilla extract?! Owful
maria N. December 31, 2017
Sorry, awful
food52fan December 31, 2017
I am not a pro baker. Why is the vanilla extract awful? Even a pure vanilla, high quality extract? Please explain! Thanks!
maria N. December 31, 2017
I think someone has used my phone to make a joke.
Vanilla bean, pods, pure extract are ok of course!
food52fan December 31, 2017
Good to hear! I use pure vanilla extract frequently and enjoy the flavor it adds.
Ann F. December 28, 2017
I made this Christmas day after receiving an enticing email from Food52 and realizing I had most of the ingredients. I baked at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, which was fine. It was delicious, and the fruit makes a lovely and festive addition. I followed the recipe as written, without any alterations. The only (slight) downside is that there was not enough pudding; i.e., the bread could have been 'squishier.' Next time, I'll add more milk, 1 3/4 - 2 cups.
John December 26, 2017
I'm trying 400 F today , will advise .
Barbara M. December 24, 2017
Can I assume this is baked at 350 degrees?
David D. December 25, 2017
I’m trying it at 350° on Christmas morning.. (online 4/5 recipes said 350 for bread pudding)... but we’ll see how it goes... otherwise I’ve ruined Christmas (won’t be the first or last time, haha)!
food52fan December 24, 2017
This looks wonderful! I am saving the recipe since I've finished up my Christmas baking. Looks like this would be delightful any time of year! Regarding the baking dish, is yours an extra deep 9" x 13"? If I was presented with an array of desserts from which to choose, bread pudding would win every time!