Chocolate Bread Pudding is a rich and decadent dessert made with day-old bread, eggs, milk, sugar, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips.
Bread Pudding
Generally, bread pudding consists of stale bread soaked in milk or cream before being baked. It also contains some form of fat like butter, oil, or suet along with other ingredients like sugar, honey, fruit, nuts, or spices.
Savory types of bread puddings are typically eaten as the main course, while the sweet pudding is a dessert.
Where did bread pudding originate
Food historians have traced the origins of bread pudding back to the 11th and 12th centuries in England. Instead of letting leftover and stale bread go to waste, frugal cooks developed a sort of “poor man’s pudding” popular with the lower class.
Bread Pudding recipe
Ingredients
- Butter, for pan
- stale challah bread
- semi-sweet chocolate chips
- granulated sugar
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- half and half or milk
- large eggs
- vanilla extract
- salt
- Whipped cream, ice cream, or powdered sugar, for serving (optional)
How to make Bread Pudding
Time needed: 1 hour and 55 minutes
How to make Chocolate Bread Pudding
- Prepare baking dish.
Butter the sides and bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Combine bread cubes and chocolate chips.
Place the bread cubes and 1 cup of the chocolate chips into the prepared pan. Give them a light toss with clean hands to mix.
- Start to prepare the chocolate custard.
In a saucepan over low heat, combine the remaining chocolate chips with the sugar, cocoa, and 1-1/2 cups half and half. Cook, stirring constantly until the chocolate is melted. Do not boil.
- Finish preparing the chocolate custard.
Transfer the chocolate mixture to a large bowl and whisk in the remaining 1-1/2 cups half and half. Then whisk in the eggs, vanilla, and salt.
- Allow the bread cubes to soak up the custard mixture.
Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature, giving the bread some time to soak up some of the custard.
- Preheat your oven.
Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Bake.
Bake the bread pudding for 45-50 minutes or until it is set.
- Allow the casserole to cool.
Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.
- Serve.
Serve with whipped cream, ice cream, or dusted with powdered sugar, if desired.
Recipe Notes
- Take this recipe to the next level by adding a chocolate sauce or fruit sauce when serving!
- No challah bread? Brioche or another similar light and fluffy white bread would be a good substitute.
Bread Pudding: FAQs
That’s a matter of personal preference. You can serve it warm, at room temperature, or cold.
You can prepare the dish completely up to the part of letting the bread cubes absorb the custard, refrigerate it overnight and bake it within 24 hours.
Alternatively, you can prepare and bake the bread pudding, keep it in the refrigerator, then reheat it in the oven.
Yes, for up to 2 hours. Any longer than that, it needs to be refrigerated.
Yes! Because milk and eggs spoil quickly at room temperature, this recipe needs to be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
Yes! Make sure it is wrapped airtight and labeled. It needs to be used within 2-3 months.
When you are ready to eat it, allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Yes! You can microwave individual portions in 10-15 second intervals until heated through. You can also reheat this recipe in the oven at 350°F for about 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
Although this recipe is great on its own, or with a scoop of ice cream, a dollop of whipped cream, or a dusting of powdered sugar, sometimes we like to kick up the decadence a little!
We’ve served this with homemade chocolate sauce and it was divine! My friends over at Home Made Interest have an awesome strawberry sauce and raspberry sauce that really hit the spot, too!
How did you like this recipe
Wasn’t this so amazingly delicious and simple?! When you are looking for an easy but impressive chocolate dessert, this bread pudding recipe is the one you’ll want to go for! How did it turn out for you? Did you make any changes or add a sauce? Let me know in the comments, and feel free to ask questions too!! I love hearing from you! 😊
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Chocolate Bread Pudding
Equipment
Ingredients
- Butter for pan
- 1 loaf stale challah bread, cut into 1-inch cubes 14-18 oz.
- 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips divided
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 cups half and a half or milk divided
- 5 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Whipped cream, ice cream, or powdered sugar, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Butter the sides and bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Place the bread cubes and 1 cup of the chocolate chips into the prepared pan. Give them a light toss with clean hands to mix.
- In a saucepan over low heat, combine the remaining chocolate chips with the sugar, cocoa, and 1-1/2 cups half and half. Cook, constantly stirring until the chocolate is melted. Do not boil.
- Transfer the chocolate mixture to a large bowl and whisk in the remaining 1-1/2 cups half and half. Then whisk in the eggs, vanilla, and salt.
- Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature, giving the bread some time to soak up some of the custard.
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Bake the bread pudding for 45-50 minutes or until it is set.
- Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.
- Serve with whipped cream, ice cream, or dusted with powdered sugar, if desired.
Notes
- Take this recipe to the next level by adding a chocolate sauce or fruit sauce when serving!
- No challah bread? Brioche or another similar light and fluffy white bread would be a good substitute.
At what temperature should bread pudding be served?
That’s a matter of personal preference. You can serve it warm, at room temperature, or cold.Nutrition
Please note that the nutritional information listed on this page is an estimation based on the products I used. Ingredients and nutritional information can vary significantly between brands. Always be sure to read labels. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Likewise, recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them.
Can a loaf of French bread be used?? This sounds SO yummy!
Sure – you’ll still want to use about the same amount.