Lemon Blueberry Bread Pudding

Who's ready for spring? I know this girl is. I made a quick trip to North Carolina this past weekend and it snowed. Snow in North Carolina! Are we serious? Bring on March 20th, blooming flowers, baby birds, and warm weather, please and thank you.

In attempts to bring a little spring into my life, I decided to make a bright and cheery dessert. Anytime you need a pick me up from winter blahs, make something with lemon and/or fresh fruit-these ingredients are sure to remind you that spring, sunshine, and warm weather are right around the corner.

This Lemon Blueberry Bread Pudding has both lemon and fresh fruit; double cheer whammy! Not only does the lemon and fresh fruit provide bursts of delicious and fresh flavors, but they make the dessert shine brightly too. Along with a dash of almond extract and some vanilla extract, the stale, boring bread is transformed into a scrumptious, light, and fresh dessert. I thought about tossing in a few white chocolate chips or almonds, but I decided that I wanted the blueberries and lemon to shine through. If you are a fan of tossing in everything but the kitchen sink, I suggest trying this recipe with slivered almonds and/or white chocolate chips. Mmm mmm.

If I told you that this entire pan was devoured in less than 24 hours, would you believe me? Guess this girl and her family needed a big dose of cheer. Even if you are enjoying the winter weather, go ahead and treat your taste buds to this delectable dessert.

Lemon Blueberry Bread Pudding (adapted from Emeril Lagasse)
(6-8 servings)

1 loaf stale Italian bread (about 6 cups), cubed
3 cups milk (I used 1%)*
3 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
zest from one lemon
juice from one lemon
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 10x15 inch baking pan with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, add the milk, eggs, sugar, both extracts, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Whisk until the eggs are beaten and all of the ingredients are combined. Add the cubed bread and blueberries. Let mixture sit for 30 minutes.

Pour soaked bread into prepared baking dish. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until bread pudding is set and no longer giggles. Remove from oven and cool for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

*You can use skim, 2%, almond, or soy milk instead. You can also use half milk and half cream if you want a richer bread pudding.

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Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 389.4
Total Fat: 5.7 g
Cholesterol: 74.2 mg
Sodium: 547.7 mg
Total Carbs: 70.5 g
Fiber: 2.5 g
Sugars: 27.6 g
Protein: 15.6 g

Pros:
-Very easy to make
-Simple list of ingredients
-Delicious
-Low in fat
-Versatile-substitute strawberries or raspberries for the blueberries, toss in a few chocolate or white chocolate chips for some added flavor, make a simple cream cheese glaze by combining room temperature cream cheese, powdered sugar, and milk and drizzle this over top of the warm bread pudding

Cons:
-High in sodium (find a bread that is low in sodium to reduce sodium content per serving)
-High in carbs