As author Dorie Greenspan says, “thanks to its ample amount of fine chocolate, this pudding transcends its homey origins and belies the fact that all you have to do to prepare it is heat some milk and cream, beat some eggs, soak some bread, and slide the pan into the oven.” Amen to that.–Renee Schettler Rossi
LC ANY WHICH WAY NOTE
We wanted to share author Dorie Greenspan’s thoughts on what size pan to reach for when making this indulgent dessert. “I like to use a pan large enough to create a pudding that’s only about an inch high. If you’d like a deeper pudding, you can make the pudding in a 7-by-11-inch baking pan or in something deeper, like a soufflé mold. Alternatively, you can make individual puddings—depending on the size of the cups or ramekins you use, you’ll need 8 to 10. Of course, with any change of pan, you’ll have to change the baking time, which is not difficult since, as you’ll see, it’s easy to tell when the pudding is properly baked.” Seems clear enough to us.
Dorie Greenspan’s Chocolate Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 12 ounces bread, such as brioche, challah, or white, preferably stale
- 1/2 cup moist, plump raisins, dark or golden or dried cherries (optional)
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 large eggs
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Instructions
- Have ready a 9-by-13-inch baking dish as well as a roasting pan big enough to hold the baking pan. Line the roasting pan with a double thickness of paper towels.
- Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes. If the bread is day-old, put it and the raisins or cherries, if you are using them, into the baking pan. If it isn’t stale, spread it out on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat and bake in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 10 minutes to dry out and then toss into the pan with the fruit.
- Bring the milk and cream just to a boil in a small saucepan.
- Fill a teakettle with water and put it on to boil. When the water boils, turn off the heat. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, yolks, and sugar together in a bowl. Still whisking, slowly drizzle in about a 1/4 of the hot milk mixture—this will temper, or warm, the eggs so they don’t curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the rest of the hot milk. Add the chocolate and whisk it in gently until it’s melted and the custard is smooth. Rap the bowl against the counter to pop any bubbles that might have formed and then pour the custard over the bread and press the bread gently with the back of a spoon to help cover it with liquid. Leave the pan on the counter, giving the bread the back-of-the-spoon treatment now and then, for 30 minutes.
- Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Put the baking dish holding the unbaked pudding into the roasting pan, and then slide the pan setup into the oven and very carefully pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the pudding pan. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the pudding is uniformly puffed, the top is dull and dry, and a thin knife inserted deep into the center comes out clean. Transfer the baking pan to a rack and let it cool. You could serve this pudding warm, but it’s better at cool room temperature or even chilled—it also cuts better when it’s cold. Serve the pudding simply with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, if desired.
Notes
A la mode
Try this dessert dolloped or topped with chocolate sauce, or whipped cream, crème fraîche, or crème anglaise flavored with vanilla or rum or Grand Marnier or brandy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
While this chocolate bread pudding isn’t a pretty dish, it sure does taste good. I used challah bread and dried cherries for my recipe. Next time I’ll add more cherries because I felt the recipe was just so-so if you didn’t get a dried cherry in each bite. There’s just something about the taste of the cherry that makes the flavor so much better. While a teakettle would’ve been ideal for making the water bath, I don’t own one. However, my pot of boiling water and a measuring cup worked just fine.
Just like a little kid, I couldn’t wait for it to cool to room temperature. I waited a little bit, then just had to try some while it was warm. I was concerned when I saw bread that wasn’t soaked with the chocolate mixture. Then I looked at the photo of the one Dorie made and hers was the same way. That made me feel better.
My personal preference is to eat it warm. I didn’t like it as much when it was room temperature or chilled. But, serve it warm with a drizzle of caramel or hot chocolate sauce and a dollop of whipped cream and it puts this dish over the top. Next time I’ll make an alcohol-infused crème anglaise and try it that way, though I’ll always eat it warm.
This dish has left me in a bit of a quandary as to how many stars I should award. It’s very easy, quite mistake proof and excellent for an amateur baker. However, I don’t think this is my flavor profile and I personally just didn’t love the combo of chocolate and bread pudding (but my friends said they really liked it). I agree with Dorie that this dish is best chilled or at room temp. I took tester Kim’s advice above and doubled the cherries. Yes, serve with ice cream or a cup of coffee for a grownup breakfast. Definitely not the prettiest presentation (but really bread pudding never wins the prettiest prize).
Thanks so much for your feedback, Cindy. It looks like you did a great job and I’m so pleased that your friends enjoyed it.
I’ve made a similar chocolate bread pudding with some significant additions: rum-and-bourbon-soaked raisins, dates and dried figs. All cream, no milk; 7 eggs; brioche bread; semisweet chocolate chips; dark-brown sugar; Guittard cocoa powder, cinnamon; vanilla extract; 9×13 casserole dish; and no water bath. I call it my “Killer Chocolate Bread Pudding”. It is by far the best bread pudding I’ve ever made. But it can be too much for some people. I may try this recipe just for comparison. Thanks again for your wonderful blog, David.
The Rodster, your bread pudding sounds ridiculously awesome! I have to make it soon.
Remembering, it did puff up about 1 1/2 in. I had the dish on a cookie pan. Didn’t spill over though. The “puff” deflated after cooling off and left a nice carmalized topping. After being in the fridge for a day it had a dense consistency which I like. I gave some away and ate off of it for about 3 wks. Keep my fridge around 30 degrees. Also, 1tbs of Mexican vanilla ext, 12 oz of ghirardelli semi sweet choc chips—these left a nice texture like a soft nut, 1/2 cup of each of the three fruits, didn’t boil the 3 cups of heavy cream, didn’t toast the briouche and let the whole mix soak about 1 1/2 hrs. And baked about 50 mins at 350.
Thanks, The Rodster!