An easy bread pudding recipe made with my fabulous Chocolate Things!
Prep Time: 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 40 minutesminutes
Total: 55 minutesminutes
Servings: 6servings.
Ingredients
4chocolate things, torn into 1-2” chunks(about 10 ounces)
1/2cupbittersweet chocolate chunks
2eggs
1/4cupplus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/4teaspoonsalt
3tablespoonsbourbon
1teaspoonvanilla extract
3/4cupcrème fraîche or heavy cream
1 1/2cupswhole milk
1 1/2teaspoonscoarse sugar for sprinkling(such as turbinado or "Sugar in the Raw")
Instructions
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325º.
Place the broken chocolate things in a baking dish (see headnot- they should come almost to the top of the pan. Scatter the chocolate chunks over the top.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar and salt until combined. Whisk in the bourbon and vanilla, then slowly add thecrème fraîche and whole milk.
Pour the custard over the bread and chocolate (it should almost cover the bread), and sprinkle with the coarse sugar.
Bake the pudding until puffed, golden on top, and when you peek into the center with a sharp knife, there is no watery filling, 35-40 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes.
Serve warm, with or without other decadent toppings. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge, and reheated in a 300º oven for about 10 minutes.
Notes
I made this pudding from leftover Chocolate Things, but if you lack them (and don't have 4 hours to spend baking them or live near The Cheese Board), you can try using chocolate croissants instead, or substitute 8 ounces of buttery white bread (like brioche or challah) and double the amount of chocolate. Though the chocolate things take a bit of time to rise and bake, the actual pudding comes together in minutes.If you do make chocolate things, you'll also have ingredients left over to make crème fraîche: buttermilk and heavy cream. Simply stir 1 tablespoon of buttermilk into 1 cup of heavy cream. Cover and let sit in a warm-ish spot (like on top of the fridge) for 24 hours, until thickened, giving it a stir once or twice during that time.As for the chocolate things, I used Scarffen Berger's bittersweet (70% cacao mass) chocolate for the chunks.I used a super cute baking dish that I picked up from Crate and Barrel, which measures 9x6x2.25" tall. I'd wager you could use a loaf pan, pie pan or small gratin dish instead. Or bake the puddings in 6 individual ramekins.The pudding stands on its own, but you can top it with caramel sauce, whipped cream and/or Irish Coffee Ice Cream.Nutritional values are based on one of six servings.