Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Blueberry Vanilla Bread Pudding with Coconut!

This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free adaptable, low-FODMAP adaptable, lacto/ovo and lacto-ovo vegetarian.

A fresh, modern take on a classic

Bread pudding is a popular dessert in so many countries, but often considered a bit of a heavy and “old-fashioned” dish. I think that this wonderful, classic pudding deserves a fresh and contemporary revival!

Out go the butter and trusty old sultanas; in come the coconut cream and fresh blueberries. This gorgeous gluten-free version of bread pudding truly tastes a million miles away from your nan’s old leftover dessert, and it’s super easy to make!

Good gluten-free bread matters

(This post was sponsored by Woolworths Australia, but every opinion expressed is entirely my own.)

Your grandma might have made her bread pudding with stale leftovers to mend and make do, but trust me when I say that the quality of the bread does matter, especially when it comes to gluten-free! Of course, this is a great recipe for using up the last bits of loaf, but it tastes even better

with fresh and soft, good quality white gluten-free bread.

The lovely people at Woolworths have just expanded their “Free From” range to include two new loaves of gluten-free bread. Naturally, I was keen to give it a try, and what better opportunity to test their new white loaf, than my gluten-free bread pudding recipe!

Woolworths promises that all their “Free From” products have been tested by customers to achieve the highest quality and best taste, so that you can continue to enjoy the food you love with the Woolworths “Free From” range.

Their new bread range includes a white and a “Seeds and Grains loaf”. I went with the white loaf, and I’m really happy with it. It’s light and airy, with a really good texture. My husband is a big toast lover, and he really enjoyed it hot and crispy. It was perfect for my gluten-free bread pudding recipe, as it has a hint of sweetness and it’s nice and moist.

A berrylicious pudding recipe

To make gluten-free bread pudding for 4 people, you’ll need:

• 1 whole Woolworths Free From white gluten-free loaf of bread
• 2 tins of coconut cream
• 1 pack (230 ml) of cream cheese. Dairy-free: Substitute for 230 ml of pure coconut cream (harden in fridge over night, and remove the coconut water)
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener, such as low-GI brown rice syrup or date syrup)
• 1 tbsp natural vanilla extract
• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• Shredded sulphite-free coconut for decoration

Dietary requirements: This recipe is fine on a dairy-free diet if you substitute the cream cheese for coconut cream, and on a low-FODMAP diet if you use white sugar as a sweetener. On the low-FODMAP diet, you can safely eat 1/2 cup of coconut cream per meal.

Method:

1. Grease a pie dish or cake tin
2. Cut the crust off of the sliced bread, and divide the slices into little “bite-sized” pieces.
3. In a bowl, combine the coconut cream, cream cheese, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla, and mix well until the mixture is smooth.
4. Cover the base of your baking dish with half the bread and half the blueberries, and pour over half the egg mixture.
5. Lay the rest of the bread neatly over top, and repeat the process with the rest of the ingredients.
6. Cover with tin foil, and let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to let the bread soak up the egg mixture.
7. Preheat the oven to 180 c/ 350 f
8. Place the covered baking dish in the pre-heated oven, and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the cover and keep baking for another 20 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean when inserted into the center.
9. Serve warm with either maple syrup, blueberries, custard or vanilla ice cream!

This gorgeous dessert works just as well summer or winter, so go right ahead and dig in! 🙂