Three Bakers Lemon Poppy Seed Bread Pudding with Lemon Curd Sauce

I don’t know about you, but spring gatherings always mean making something with lemon. There is just something about lemon’s bright taste that speaks of spring. This year I’ll be serving up Lemon Poppy Seed Pudding with Lemon Curd Sauce made from Three Bakers bread to my family at Easter Brunch to get that bright punch of pucker-up flavor.

My favorite part of this recipe is that I can assemble it the evening before our brunch and let it chill in the refrigerator overnight. The lemon sauce can also be made the evening before and warmed just before serving, leaving you to enjoy your family while everything is baking.

Studded with poppy seeds, the bread pudding itself tastes lightly sweet and could double as a french toast casserole in a pinch. It is the lemon curd sauce that brings this into dessert territory, coating the pudding with sweet yet tangy goodness. You could also dollop the whole thing with a scoop of whipped cream, whipped coconut topping, or a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream to really bring it over the top!

Here at Three Bakers we hope your spring is off to a fantastic start!

Three Bakers Lemon Poppy Seed Bread Pudding with Lemon Curd Sauce

Makes a 9×13 pan

Bread Pudding:

1 loaf Three Bakers gluten free Whole Grain White Bread, cut into 1” cubes
4 large eggs
1 cup half and half, cream or canned coconut milk
1 cup milk or unsweetened dairy free substitute (such as unsweetened almond milk) Zest of 2 large lemons, finely minced

Juice of 2 large lemons, strained of seeds 3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Lemon Curd Sauce:

2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoons cornstarch
3 egg yolks
6 tablespoons sugar
zest of one large lemon, finely minced
juice of one large lemon, strained of seeds
4 tablespoons cold butter or dairy free substitute

Assemble bread pudding: Oil a 9”x13” pan. Pour the bread cubes into pan and level. Set aside.

Whisk together eggs, half and half, milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and poppy seeds until well blended and slightly frothy. Pour over bread cube in pan.

Cover pan with foil and refrigerate for one hour or up to overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Leave foil on pan and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 15 minutes more, or until bread pudding is set.

Make Lemon curd sauce: In a small bowl whisk together water and cornstarch. Set aside.

In a sauce pan whisk together egg yolks, second measure of sugar, second measure of lemon zest, and second measure of lemon juice. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly for 4 minutes until mixture thickens slightly.

Whisk in cornstarch and water mixture and cook for 4 more minutes until curd thickens. Remove from heat.

Whisk in one tablespoon of butter into hot curd at a time until all butter is incorporated. Serve immediately over baked bread pudding, or pour into a bowl, cover surface of lemon curd sauce with plastic wrap (to prevent a skin from forming) and chill in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, gently heat over low heat until warmed through.

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