Born and raised in Venice, Italy, Manuela now lives with…
Indulge in a delicious brunch recipe of cozy, savory bread pudding baked with mushrooms and speck.
How about a thick slice of this savory and moist bread pudding, topped with a crunchy, cheesy top, and filled with flavorful mushroom and tasty speck to start your day?
The secret to make not just a good bread pudding, but an amazingly delicious one is in the bread. What you need is a tasty and delicious loaf of bread, freshly baked or a day old. You can use French or Italian, or your favorite. What YOU CANNOT USE is any of those boxed or packaged bread cubes or dressing mixes!!
Sorry for the yelling, but you know me. I get a little too passionate about making recipes from fresh ingredients, especially when they are easy to make, and taste one hundred times better than packaged.
Anyways, for this recipe all you need to do is slice the bread, drizzle with olive oil and lightly grill both side. And just like I do for bruschetta, brush each slice of bread, on both sides, with garlic. Oh YEAH!! Brushed garlic is the best. Much better than cooked, definitely better than raw. It gives the perfectly garlicky aroma without overpowering the flavor of the dish.
Cut the bread in cubes and let it soak in an egg/milk mixture while you cook the mushrooms. Add speck cut in little strips to the sauteed mushrooms. You can add pancetta or bacon in place of the speck, if you prefer. Or neither if you wish to make it a vegetarian dish. Add cheese in the middle, Parmesan on top and bake until set in the middle, and crispy on top.
PrintMushroom and Speck Savory Bread Pudding
- Author: Manuela Mazzocco
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings 1x
Description
Indulge in a delicious brunch recipe of cozy, savory bread pudding baked with mushrooms and speck.
Ingredients
- Half loaf (8 oz, 225 gr of white bread (French, Italian…))
- three tablespoons of olive oil (divided)
- 1 garlic clove
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups 475 ml of milk (I used whole milk)
- 1 lb 450 gr of mushrooms (I used white mushrooms), washed and sliced
- 3.5 oz 100 gr of speck (or pancetta), sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons of fresh Italian parsley (chopped)
- 1/2 packed cup (60 gr of shredded Gruyere cheese)
- 2 tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese
- butter for greasing
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Slice the bread in thick slices (about 3/4 in, 2 cm in thickness).
- Drizzle with olive oil, and grill both sides.
- Brush both sides with a garlic clove.
- Cut the bread into cubes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the milk, with the eggs, one teaspoon of salt, and pepper.
- Add the bread to the mixture and let soak for at least 15 minutes while you cook the mushrooms.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C )
- In a large skillet, saute’ the mushroom slices with two tablespoons of olive oil and the garlic (crushed or minced) over medium-high heat.
- Saute’ until fully cook, it should take about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the speck cut in little strips and the chopped parsley.
- Mix the mushrooms into the bread cubes. Add the shredded gruyere cheese and mix.
- Grease an 7×10 inch (18×25 cm) baking dish with butter.
- Pour the stuffing into the dish. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
- Bake stuffing uncovered until set and top is golden, about 45-50 minutes.
- Category: Breakfast
Born and raised in Venice, Italy, Manuela now lives with her husband and two children in Los Angeles, California. In her blog, Cooking with Manuela, she strives to share her passion for Italian food. As a mom of two young boys, most of her dinner preparations are done while checking homework, quizzing for science tests, and looking for Lego pieces. Her step-by-step recipes help readers create delicious food while on a busy schedule. There is nothing as special as ending your day with your family or friends sharing a good conversation and a tasty homemade meal.