Don't arrive to Easter dinner or brunch empty handed. This recipe is delicious, can be served for any meal and has ingredients you most likely already have in your kitchen. Bread pudding can sometimes have a negative reaction. For me, it made me think of a mushy, bland, slimy dessert that had no business on my plate. This recipe is more hearty than anything with lots of flavor and most important, no sliminess. Fresh berries and bright lemon make this perfect for spring and a fantastic Easter dish.

Whenever I do eggy bread bakes, I like using Challah bread but a brioche or anything in the pantry would work just as well. Any berries you prefer work well for this. I stuck with red berries so strawberry and raspberry. I love the mix of those flavors and they look pretty.

This treat is phenomenal topped with vanilla ice cream. A dollop of whipped cream or a drizzle of chocolate syrup would also be delicious. Maybe even a little chocolate drizzle over vanilla ice cream. If the pudding has come to room temperature or you've had it refrigerated, warm up in the oven for a few minutes so the ice cream gets melty.

Lemon Berry Bread Pudding
Ingredients:
1 loaf Challah or Brioche, cut into 1-inch cubes
6 eggs
1 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon
1 cup heavy cream
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups berries
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:
1. Cut loaf of bread into 1-inch chunks and place into a large bowl. Honestly, the more stale the bread the better but mine was hardly more than a day old and worked just fine. Keep the bread cubes as close in size as you can to ensure even soaking and baking.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and one cup of sugar. Slowly add in the heavy cream followed by lemon zest and salt.

3. Slowly pour egg mixture over the bread cubes and toss to evenly combine. Add in your berries, gently tossing to distribute evenly among the bread cubes. Let sit for 30 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a rectangular baking dish with butter. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of sugar and pour in the bread mixture. Spread evenly throughout the dish for even baking. Bake for 30-45 minutes until browned on top and a knife comes out clean. Serve topped with vanilla ice cream or your choice of toppings.