Strawberry Brioche Pudding

So many horrors exist under the name of bread pudding that I hesitated even to try making one for years. There are a few ‘secrets’ to a perfect bread pudding: let the bread cubes dry slightly in the oven so that they absorb the liquid easily; mix any solid elements with the dry bread cubes before moistening; and add the liquid in several stages so that the bread absorbs it completely. Here, the bread mixture is dotted with quartered strawberries and finished with a sugary almond topping, a