Adapted from a restaurant I used to work in. If you can’t get cherries, cranberries are a good sub – the fruit adds something nice to what is essentially french toast.
Ingredients
- 1000 g brioche, focaccia, or challah smallish dice
- 250 g dried cherries
- 950 g half and half
- 150-200 g white sugar more for topping
- 1 egg plus 1 yolk
- 15 g vanilla extract
- 2 g kosher salt
- 10 g cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the half and half, sugar, egg, yolk, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon until fully combined.
- Add the bread and dried cherries to a metal 9×13 inch pan or casserole dish. Pour the custard mixture over and press down to submerge bread. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight, allowing the bread to fully absorb the custard.
- The next day, press the bread pudding down firmly in the pan to compact it. Generously cover the surface with cane sugar.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 20–30 minutes until deeply brown.
- Let rest for 10–15 minutes before slicing and serving.