Chocolate Bread Pudding
One of the most decadently delicious desserts on the planet!
Slightly stale bread works well here. If it isn’t stale-ish, you can toast the bread cubes in the oven. I used brioche bread for this recipe, but in the past have used French baguettes, or sourdough bread. You can use any bread you like, really. But a nice bakery loaf of any type really makes a great textural difference!
I give recommendations for 3 optional ingredients – cream cheese, espresso powder, and cinnamon. You can add all, some, or none of these! They are all amazing in this dish, and are easy!
This recipe serves a crowd!
- Prep Time: 45 min
- Cook Time: 35-40 min
- Total Time: 2 hr. 15 min (including wait time)
- Yield: 16-20 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 lb bread, cut into 3/4 – inch cubes
- 2 c heavy cream
- 2 c milk (I had 2% in the fridge, but any will do)
- 2 t vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 lb (16 oz) bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped or chips
- 3 whole eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/4 c sugar
- 3/4 t salt
- 1 1/2 c (9oz) Bittersweet or Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Optional additions: (see Notes for specifics)
- 8 oz. cream cheese, cut into small cubes
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp Instant Espresso Powder
Instructions
(Optional) Toast your bread:
- Preheat oven to 300F. Place bread cubes over a sheetpan – you may need 2. Bake in preheated oven 20-30 minutes, until toasty.
Prepare your pan:
- Butter or spray 10-inch springform pan or 13×9 baking pan. If you won’t be serving from the pan, then line with parchment, to facilitate removal.
- Place half the bread cubes and half the chocolate chips into your prepared pan.
Make the Custard:
- Place the chopped chocolate (and cream cheese cubes, if using) in a large bowl.
- In a medium saucepan, heat cream and milk (or Half-and-Half) until simmering. You will know it is simmering when it steams. There may also be small bubbles around the side of the pan. Remove it from the heat when you see the steam.
- Pour the hot cream mixture over the finely chopped chocolate. Let sit about 3 minutes. Then stir or whisk until completely smooth. Add the vanilla or vanilla bean paste. Stir again.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and salt. Temper the eggs by slowly spooning in a small amount (1/4 cup) of the hot cream while whisking briskly. Continue to slowly add the chocolate mixture, while whisking, until it is completely incorporated with the egg mixture.
Compose the Bread Pudding
- Pour half the custard over the bread cubes in the pan, covering all of them. You can use a spoon to push the cubes down into the custard for coating. Then repeat with remaining bread cubes, chocolate chips and custard.
- Cover the dish with plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, but refrigerating overnight prior to baking is highly recommended. (It completely enhances the pudding texture and flavor! You won’t be sorry!)
- When you are ready to bake the pudding, preheat oven to 325F.
- Uncover dish and bake 35-40 minutes or until custard is glossy and nicely set. Let cool 15-20 minutes before serving.
- Serve warm, with lightly whipped cream.
Notes
Variations include:
- Add 8 oz. cream cheese, cut into 1/2” cubes, to the chopped chocolate. It will melt along with the chocolate when you pour over the hot cream/milk mixture. If using a firmer bread, such as sourdough, then reduce milk and cream to 1 1/2 c each.
- To enhance the chocolate flavor, add 1 t Instant Espresso to the egg mixture.
- Adding 2 t ground cinnamon will add an interesting note to the bread pudding. Whisk it into the cream/milk mixture when simmering.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/16 recipe
Keywords: Chocolate, Bread Pudding, Chocolate Bread Pudding, Recipe
Find it online: https://hummingbirdthyme.com/chocolate-bread-pudding/
