Stale bread cubes and chocolate custard are the main ingredients of chocolate bread pudding, a soft, sweet treat. Soft, enriched bread like brioche or challah absorbs the custard more than fresh bread when it is a day old. By using chocolate chips, cocoa powder, or a mix of the two components, you can give the custard a chocolate flavour.
Instead of melted chocolate, stir cocoa powder into the custard. The texture of the custard is altered when a thick semi-liquid ingredient, like melted chocolate, is added, and because of how thick it is, the bread may not be able to absorb it completely. Chocolate combined with the consistency of a custardy bread pudding is made with cocoa powder, milk, and eggs.
Best Bread For Chocolate Bread Pudding
Brioche
Possibly the most traditional option for bread pudding is brioche. Consider it a richer, butter- and egg-made variation on sandwich bread. It cooks into a finished dish with a crisped surface and a soft, creamy interior because of its firm, fluffy crumb, which helps it keep its shape after absorbing the custard. You can cut pieces that are as thick as you like if you purchase them by the loaf rather than by the slice.
French baguette
Another reason to keep the baguette from last night's dinner. Consider a French baguette as your go-to option. This firm-crusted bread has little trouble soaking up the custard and remaining robust when cut on a diagonal for larger slices. A baguette produces French toast and bread pudding that have a chewier bite than those made with brioche, challah, and sandwich bread. To ensure that it is completely softened, let it soak in the egg and milk combination for a very long time.
Challah
Challah, which usually excludes dairy items, creates a great base for bread pudding, much like an ultra-buttery brioche. This eggy bread is capable of absorbing custard without disintegrating. The exterior toasts wonderfully, leaving you with the creamy interior you would anticipate from such foods.
Croissant
A croissant is a flaky French pastry with lots of buttery layers that can soak up bread pudding custard. Cut croissants into cubes that are as uniform in size as possible, then let the cubes sit out for a while to become stale. Croissants take less time to stale than other forms of bread since they are already crunchy and flaky.
Here’s how you can make this dessert at home:
Ingredients:
•5 cups challah or brioche bread
•1/2 cup sugar
•1 cup heavy cream
•1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
•3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
•1 cup of whole milk
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•2 large eggs
•1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
•1 tablespoon unsalted butter
•1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For garnishing:
•1/4 cup heavy cream
•1/4 cup milk or additional semi-sweet chocolate chips
Method:
•Challah or other egg-based bread like brioche should be cut into 1-inch pieces. Stale bread can be used in this recipe. Fresh bread can be used just as is, but stale bread will absorb the liquid more effectively.
•Combine the sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, cinnamon, salt, heavy cream, eggs, vanilla, and whole milk in a large bowl.
•The mixture should settle for about 30 minutes to allow the bread to absorb some of the liquid before adding the chocolate chips and bread cubes.
•The oven should be heated to 350 degrees F.
•Butter a 10- by 7-inch baking dish and add the bread mixture and all the liquid that hasn't been absorbed. Be aware that it will puff during baking and then somewhat deflate after cooling.
•Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the mixture is set, in a baking pan.
•To make the topping, microwave the chocolate chips for a short period of time, then mix in the heavy cream until well combined. Serve the bread pudding warm or at room temperature after pouring the mixture over the top.