Description
This chocolate bread pudding is chocolatey and decadent without being overly rich. It is perfect for using up leftover challah or brioche.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise, seeds scraped
- 6 cups cubed Challah or brioche bread, about 1/2 of a large loaf (see Notes)
- 4 large eggs yolks
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 6 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
- Sweetened whipped cream, for serving
- Chocolate shavings, for serving (see Notes)
Instructions
- Prep oven. Heat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Infuse cream. Place the cream, milk, vanilla seeds and vanilla bean pod in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover the saucepan with lid, and let sit for 30 minutes to infuse flavors.
- Prep bread. Meanwhile, fill an 8×8-inch square or 10×6 1/2-inch rectangular baking dish with the bread cubes.
- Make custard. After 30 minutes, return the milk mixture to a boil, remove from heat, and discard vanilla bean pod. Add chocolate, and whisk until smooth. Combine egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl, whisking to combine. Whisk one cup of the chocolate mixture into egg yolk mixture to temper the eggs. Pour remaining chocolate mixture very slowly into egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly, until fully combined.
- Soak bread. Slowly pour the chocolate mixture over all the bread. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir the bread mixture to ensure that all of the bread pieces are completely soaked. Allow bread mixture to sit for 30 minutes.
- Bake. Place baking dish in a larger pan; fill outer pan with hot water halfway up the sides of the baking dish (I use a tea pot filled with hot water to do this). Bake until pudding is set, about 35 minutes. Carefully remove the pans from the oven and let cool on a rack for 15 minutes.
- Serve. Cut bread pudding into 6 servings and serve warm, garnished with sweetened whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
Notes
- To make the cubes, cut the bread into 1/2-inch slices, then cut again into 1/2-inch cubes.
- To make chocolate shavings, use a vegetable peeler and scrape the blade lengthwise across a block of chocolate.
- Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living, January 2001.
