breakfast friday | blueberry pecan cornbread bread pudding
/Breakfast, breakfast, breakfaaaaast day!
My favorite day of the week, conveniently scheduled on Friday.
I was browsing through my cornbread archives--which I should probably have an entire page devoted solely to--and remembered one of my favorite recipes for blueberry pecan cornbread. It's a little sweeter and more interesting than plain cornbread and perfect for breakfast.
Then, I got to thinking about my love for bread pudding/French toast bakes and wondered if combining the two would work.
And boy did it ever.
After the cornbread baked to a deep, golden brown I sliced it into squares and toasted it up a bit. I consumed cube after cube because I have no restraint when it comes to cornbread. Lucky for me I made 2 batches. Or, maybe, lucky for you? If it hadn't been for that second batch you probably wouldn't have this recipe today.
And while you could slather these toasted, cornbready nuggets in a little butter and call it a day we've got bigger plans.
After soaking the cubes in a milk + egg bath you send it to the oven to bake into a thick, doughy, cakey-bready, scoopable, breakfast, treasure.
Yeah, there just aren't enough descriptive words for this one.
After a little honey drizzle all you have left to do is dig in.
Blueberry Pecan Cornbread Bread Pudding
gluten-free // serves ~6-8 generous portions
for the cornbread:
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 3/4 cup finely ground cornmeal
- 3/4 cup masa harina
- 1/2 cup gluten-free oat flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, or 2%
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
- 1/3 cup raw pecans
- Preheat oven to 400* F and place 2 tablespoons of butter into a 9-inch round pan [cast iron works great!].
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and let cool for a few minutes.
- Stir the cornmeal, masa, oat flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
- In another bowl whisk the egg then whisk in the milk, honey, vanilla, and melted butter until fully combined.
- Pour the wet into the dry and stir until just combined [when you no longer see dry flour].
- Immediately and gently fold in the blueberries and pecans, then let the batter sit undisturbed for 7-8 minutes.
- While the batter sits place the pan with the butter in the oven for just a few minutes until melted.
- Remove and carefully rotate the pan around to coat the bottom and sides with the melted butter. The excess will pool at the bottom which is normal.
- Without stirring, scrape the batter [it will be very thick] into the hot pan and gently spread it to the edges with a spatula or large spoon.
- Bake for 24-28 minutes until the edges are a deep golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing into large pieces and then move to a cooling rack to fully cool. Cornbread is fragile while warm.
*If not making the bread pudding mix in a rounded cup of blueberries and 1/2 cup pecans. Use unrefined coconut oil to make dairy free.
for the bread pudding:
- 1 2/3 cups unsweetened almond milk, or 2%
- 3 large eggs
- 4-5 tablespoons honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 7-8 cups 1-inch cornbread cubes
- 1/2 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
- 3-4 tablespoons raw pecans
- Once fully cooled preheat your oven to 350* F and slice cornbread into 1-inch cubes.
- Spread 7-8 cups on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly toasted.
- Let cool.
- While cooling, whisk the milk, eggs, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt together until fully combined.
- Place the cooled cornbread cubes in a greased 8-9-inch square pan and pour the wet mixture over top.
- Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350*F.
- Remove from the fridge and gently turn the mixture over in the pan so the top pieces are on the bottom. The mixture will become a bit crumbly but that's fine.
- Cover with foil and bake for about 40-45 minutes until the mixture feels set to the touch but with a slight bit of give in the center. If the mixture still seems very wet and gooey, bake covered for another 5-10 minutes.
- Then, bake uncovered for 12-15 minutes until light golden brown.
- Let sit for 10-12 minutes to firm up before serving.
- Serve with honey and refrigerate leftovers.
Looking for a gooey vegan bread pudding similar in style to this? Check out my recipe for vegan blueberry muffin bread pudding. It is to die for!
#bfastfridayclub <--- Check out all of your instragrammed photos over on my facebook feed! Thanks for posting. I just love seeing what you all come up with!
*Don't forget!* I'll be signing copies of Baked Doughnuts for Everyone tomorrow at The Learned Owl Book Shop in Hudson, OH from 1-3pm. I absolutely cannot wait and hope to see some of you there!
Weekend time. Enjoy!
Ashley