Croissant Bread Pudding
Rich, buttery, and indulgent, this creamy lemon and raspberry croissant bread pudding is almost unbelievably easy to make. It only takes a few minutes of hands-on time to create this treat that will make any breakfast, brunch, or dessert a memorable occasion.
Equipment
- 9x13-inch Baking Dish
- Roasting Pan (or Aluminum Roasting Pan on a Sheet Pan)
- cutting board
- bread knife
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- mixing bowl
- whisk
- Foil
Ingredients
- Nonstick Cooking Spray or Butter
- 6 Croissants preferably stale (see notes)
- 3 cups Fresh Raspberries divided
- 3/4 cup Lemon Curd divided
- 4 ounces cream cheese optional but tasty
- 3 jumbo eggs
- 8 jumbo egg yolks
- 5 cups Half and Half
- 1 ⅓ cups Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 Lemon zested
- 3 tablespoons Heavy Cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray or softened butter.
- Slice 6 croissants in half lengthwise and arrange the bottoms of the sliced croissants in a single layer in the prepared pan. Break up any overlapping pieces and shove them into open spaces.
- Scatter 2 cups of the raspberries over the croissant bottoms then dollop ½ cup of the lemon curd by spoonfuls over the croissants. If using the cream cheese, break it into knobs and scatter those around the raspberries and lemon curd.
- Arrange the croissant tops (cut side down) over the contents of the pan. Place the 9”x13” pan inside the roasting pan. If you’re using an aluminum roasting pan, please put it on top of a half sheet pan for stability.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, half and half, sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon zest until even in colour and the sugar dissolves. Pour this into the pan with the croissants.
- Leave it to soak for about 10 minutes, pressing the top croissants gently into the mixture from time to time. You can gently weigh the croissant tops down using a plate if you'd like, but it's not strictly necessary.
- Pour hot (but not boiling) water into the roasting pan, taking care not to let it splash into your bread pudding pan. Cover tightly with foil, then use a chopstick or butter knife to stab about 10 holes around the foil to allow steam to escape.
- Carefully transfer the roasting pan to the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 40 to 45 minutes, or until the custard is set but still jiggly, golden brown, and puffed.
- Allow the bread pudding to cool for 15 minutes before slicing or scooping and serving. Whisk together the remaining ¼ cup of lemon curd and the heavy cream until smooth.
- This is best served warm or at room temperature with a drizzle of the lemon curd sauce. Garnish with the remaining raspberries and -if desired- whipped cream and more lemon zest.
Notes
Lovely, layered croissants are ideally suited to bread pudding but you do want to let them get a little stale before giving them the pudding treatment. If you’re in a hurry, you can encourage them to get stale by cutting them in half lengthwise and placing them in a warm oven (cut-side up) for an hour or two.
Nutrition
Calories: 598kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 12gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 19gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 286mgSodium: 319mgPotassium: 310mgFiber: 3gSugar: 48gVitamin A: 1192IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 192mgIron: 2mg
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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