Meyer Lemon and Berry Bread Pudding

Meyer Lemon and Blueberry Bread Pudding

Over the weekend we checked out Old Town Ellicot City, MD with friends to celebrate our dear friend Joe’s birthday. I had only been there a couple of times before, and I always forget just how charming it is. The narrow streets are lined with cute boutique type store fronts, antique shops and restaurants to boot. I really do need to get up there sometime when its warm so I can properly explore, but I digress. The best part of the evening, besides the conversation, was my delicious dessert. A blackberry and lemon bread pudding served warm with a scoop of vanilla icecream just hit the spot. Since I couldnt stop thinking about it, I decided to give it a try myself. While the version I ended up was not quite as dense as the original (probably due to my brioche bread choice) it was just as delicious. I had never made bread pudding before but it was so easy that I now feel like I will have to mix this one into my bag of tricks for the next time I have a crusty loaf of day old bread around. After all, I'm all about reduce, reuse, recycle... even when it comes to my food.

This recipe is based loosely on both the dish I had the other evening and an Emeril bread pudding recipe from Food and Wine Magazine.


1 loaf of good bakery bread (I used brioche and would probably use something with more substance next time)
4 eggs
1 C sugar
1 C sour cream (I had it in the house and had no heavy cream. I gave it a try)
Zest of 1 lemon (I used a meyer lemon)
Juice of ½ lemon (I used a meyer lemon)
2 ½ C whole milk
2 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp cinnamon
3 tbs butter, melted
1 pint blueberries
1 C frozen raspberries

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 pan with butter. In a large bowl beat eggs. Mix sugar and sour cream. Add lemon zest, juice, milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Beat until evenly combined. Stir in melted butter.

Cut bread into ½ inch pieces. Add bread to the egg mixture, mix until all the pieces are covered and let it stand for 20 minutes. Stir in berries and pour into the pan.

Bake at 350 for 45-60 min, until the top is golden brown. Remove from oven and let it rest for 15-20 minutes before serving.