Breakfast Waffle Bread Pudding with Berries
“Who said bread pudding is just for dessert?” asks David Venable, the beloved host of QVC’s "In The Kitchen With David." "Frozen waffles cut your prep time in half. Slice the waffles into pieces and layer them in a baking dish. A quick custard sauce of beaten eggs and half-and-half is poured over the top before the dish goes into the oven. Once baked, each portion is topped with a big spoonful of mixed berries tossed with maple syrup."
Adapted from Comfort Food Shortcuts by David Venable. Copyright © 2018 by David Venable. Used with permission by Ballantine Books. All rights reserved.
- Vegetable oil spray
- 12 frozen buttermilk waffles, cut into quarters
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 6 large eggs
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (1/2 stick)
- 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
- 1 cup maple syrup, divided
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 cups mixed fresh berries
Heat the oven to 350˚F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Put the cut-up waffles into the prepared dish.
Whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, butter, brown sugar, the 2/3 cup maple syrup, the vanilla and cinnamon in a bowl. Pour the custard evenly over the waffles and press down to make sure all the waffles are coated with the custard.
Bake until golden brown and a knife inserted 2 ½ inches from the edge of the baking dish comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.
Toss the berries with the remaining 1/3 cup maple syrup. Top each bread pudding serving with the berry-syrup mixture.