What was intended to be a quick breakfast casseroleĀ ended up a much longer but lovely improv as I realized too late into the process that we had no cream cheese. What we did have was PLENTY of whole milk. So instead we made a lovely fresh ricotta and added blueberries for a lovely breakfast bread pudding that was even better on day two.
10 cups Torn or cubed bread (We had sourdough on hand this was roughly 12 slices)
1 cup Blueberries
2 cups Ricotta
7 teaspoons Sugar (divided)
128 ounces Whole milk (1 gallon)
.5 cups White Vinegar
1 tablespoon Vanilla
Instructions
Tear your bread by hand or cube and place into your casserole baking tray. Drizzle with melted butter. Whisk your eggs, yogurt, 4 tsp of sugar and vanilla (we used the blender) and pour over your bread. Toss to coat and let sit while you make the ricotta.
Place your whole milk in a sauce pot over medium and heat until very hot but not boiling. Add your vinegar and stir until you have curds and whey. Strain into a fine mesh colander, saving the whey for future use if desired (we often make bread with it). Sweeten the ricotta with the remaining 3 teaspoons of sugar and mix well. Dollop the sweetened cheese on top of your bread mixture. Top with blueberries and stir lightly to combine.
Bake at 400Ā° for 45 minutes or until bread custard is set. We covered ours with a baking sheet and went a little longer. Serve warm with powered sugar or maple syrup if desired.