Red Currant Bread Pudding Crumble

Side view of a Red Currant Custard Tart baked in a cast iron pan with a slice taken out.

Red Currant Bread Pudding Crumble

Fluffy custardy bread pudding, topped with juicy tart red currants and a thin layer of streusel, this Red Currant Bread Pudding Crumble is easy and delicious and perfect for summer.

Prep Time45

Cook Time1

Cooling1

Total Time2 45

Course: Afternoon Kaffee, Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American, German

Keyword: bread pudding, custard, red currant, Streusel

Servings:

Calories: 313kcal

Equipment

8" cast iron pan minimum 2" deep

Ingredients

Red Currants

400 grams red currants fresh
100 grams granulated sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch

Custard Bread Pudding

250 grams whole milk
250 grams heavy cream
2 eggs standard large
80 grams granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
225 grams brioche stale

Streusel

60 grams all purpose flour
40 grams granulated sugar
1/4 teapsoon fine sea salt
40 grams salted butter soft
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Red Currants

Preheat the oven to 350º F and place a rack in the center of the oven.
Crumple a large square of parchment paper and then press it into an 8" cast iron pan. *See notes for other pan options* Make sure the parchment paper goes a bit higher than the sides of the pan.
Rinse and de-stem the red currants. Add them into a medium mixing bowl along with the granulated sugar. Stir to combine and set aside at room temperature to macerate.

Custard Bread Pudding

In a medium sauce pot add in the milk and heavy cream. Place over medium low heat and heat until steaming - just before it begins to simmer. Stir occasionally to keep it from burning.
While it heats up, whisk the eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla in a large heat safe mixing bowl until light and frothy. Place on a damp dish cloth or rag to keep the bowl from spinning.
Once the milk and cream are hot, remove the pot from the heat and while whisking the egg mixture, slowly pour in the hot milk and cream.
Continue whisking and pouring until fully mixed.
Tear the stale bread into large 3"-4" chunks and add it into the hot custard mixture. Stir to combine and leave it to sit for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, stir again and leave it to sit for another 15 minutes.

Streusel

In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and salt with a fork.
Add in the soft butter and vanilla and use the fork to rub the butter into the dry ingredients.

Assemble & Bake

Once the juices have started to release from the red currants, add in 2 tablespoons of corn starch. Stir to combine until no starch is still visible.
Pour the custard bread pudding mixture into the lined pan. Make sure to spread the bread chunks out evenly to create an even base.
Spoon the red currant mixture carefully over the bread pudding to create an even layer.
Crumble the streusel over the red currants, focusing most of it around the edges.
Bake the assembled tart in the hot oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes. It should still have a slight wobble when you take it out of the oven.
Once baked remove the pan from the oven and leave it to cool. It needs to sit for a minimum of 30-40 minutes. However, if you let it sit for over an hour it will fully set. If you only let it sit for 30-40 minutes the currants will still be a bit runny but don't worry it is fully baked.
Optionally dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

Notes

Tips for making Red Currant Custard Tart

This recipe uses stale brioche. I like to use Challah or another brioche from the store. Ideally leave it out on the counter or in the fridge, unwrapped overnight to help it dry out. Fresh bread won't absorb enough of the custard.
I used a 2" deep and 8.5" wide cast iron pan to bake this in but you can use any metal or cast iron pan as long as it has the same volume and is at least 2" deep, otherwise it will overflow.
To use a large or smaller dish this recipe can easily be scaled up or down. Something like an 8" x 8" square pan will work too! If you use a 9" x 9" pan you'll want to do 1.5 x the recipe.
If you can't find red or white currants, I think you can use a combination of raspberries and blueberries. Be sure to decrease the sugar by about 50% to account for the sweetness.
It's important to bake this for long enough because of the moisture but you'll also need to let it cool. It's ok if you want to serve it a little warm just note that the red currants will spill over the edge of the slice. If you let it set completely you'll be able to cut neat even slices.

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