Very Berry Whole Wheat Bread Pudding

We do a lot of breakfast posts, I have noticed.  I think it is because, for my part anyway, in the war of healthy eating, breakfast is a battlefield on which I have a clear advantage.  People (and by people I mean Benjamin, my six-year old warrior in the fight for all carbs, all the time) are far more open-minded to healthy foods when their tummies are empty. Breakfast is the meal in which I have the greatest chance of success with my picky eater.  It is also, as we all know, the most important meal of the day. A healthy, filling breakfast sets the day up for success in so many things.

Of course, bread pudding is traditionally a dessert, but I stand behind this healthier version as a great option for breakfast. I reduced the amount of sugar used in typical bread pudding recipes, and I think the amount could be reduced even more, depending on the level of sweet-tooth you are pandering to.  I also used whole wheat bread instead of white, yielding yet another option for using the bread heels of the loaf, which my family (including myself, I must admit) shuns.

Very Berry Whole Wheat Bread Pudding

6 pieces whole wheat bread, on the stale side if possible (as mentioned above, use the heels of the loaf and feel thrifty and resourceful about it!)

2 cups milk (I use whole, raw milk, which makes everything richer, tastier, and, in my opinion, healthier)

4 eggs, beaten

2 tbsp. butter

1/3 - 1/2 cup evaporated cane juice crystals

(As always, use organic ingredients whenever possible)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup berries (Berries are expensive. Organic berries may necessitate a second mortgage. I buy frozen organic berries whenever possible, stockpiling them because they are not always available.  For this recipe I used a "Triple berry antioxidant blend" of organic frozen berries that is sometimes available at Costco. It is strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, and also includes cherries!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In an 8x8 baking dish, tear bread into smallish pieces.

Mix berries with bread pieces and drizzle the melted butter over the mixture.

Combine eggs, milk, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl and mix until well blended. Pour this mixture evenly over bread/berry mixture.

Press bread mixture lightly with fork or spatula until all of it is covered with egg mixture.

Bring a teapot of water to a boil. Place baking dish in a large roasting pan, and pour boiling water into roasting pan.  Place roasting pan (with baking dish and boiling water in it) in oven.

Bake about 45 minutes. Remove baking dish from roasting pan with water, place baking dish back in oven and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until it is golden brown and has reached "pudding" consistency (a fork in the center will not come clean, but mixture is no longer runny).

This recipe is just in time for Easter (unless you are Erin's family, in which case you have already celebrated, hehe). Enjoy!

Jessica