I always seems to have odds and ends of bread around that I don't know what to do with…particularly after the weekend, when we usually have some leftover challah. This recipe is a little lighter than some others that I have found, because it has no eggs in it and uses milk instead of cream.  Served warm, with or without vanilla ice cream, it is gushy smooshy and super satisfyingly yummy.  It's not bad right out of the fridge for breakfast either 😉

Eggless Banana Blueberry Bread Pudding

3 cups milk

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar

1/2 stick unsalted butter

pinch salt

about 8 slices day old bread, cut into bite size pieces

3 super ripe bananas, mashed

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Heat the milk, sugar, salt and butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Warm, stirring constantly, just until the butter melts.

3. using the discarded paper from your unwrapped butter (or cooking spray) grease an 8 inch square pyrex.

4. Put bread in the baking dish and pour the hot milk mixture over it.  Push bread down into the liquid so that that the bread really soaks it up.

5. Carefully mix bananas and blueberries into bread.

6. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until a knife stuck into the center comes out mostly clean.  It's ok if you underbake this pudding a bit because there are no eggs in it 🙂

7. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tbsp of sugar over the top and turn on the broiler for about a minute so that it gets all golden, caramelized and crunch on the top.