Cocoa Toast Bread Pudding Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bread in a round, buttered, deep dish pie plate. In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, a dash of salt, vanilla, cocoa, and cinnamon . Add chocolate chips. Pour over bread and gently mix. Let sit for 15 minutes, so bread can absorb mixture. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until firm but not dry.

Steps:

• In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate; stir until smooth. Stir in cream; set aside. , In a large bowl, whisk sugar, milk, egg, vanilla and salt. Stir in chocolate mixture. Add bread cubes and toss to coat. Let stand for 15 minutes. , Spoon into 2 greased 2-cup souffle dishes. Bake at 350° until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. , If desired, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and top with a dollop of whipped cream.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9-in. springform pan with 1 tablespoon butter. Cube remaining butter; place in a small saucepan. Add chocolate chips and brown sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat., In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, vanilla, espresso powder and salt. Gently stir in bread; let stand until bread is softened, about 15 minutes. Fold in chocolate mixture. Transfer to prepared pan. Bake, uncovered, until a knife inserted in center comes out clean, 45-55 minutes. Cool on a wire rack 15 minutes., Meanwhile, for sauce, heat cream in a small heavy saucepan until bubbles form around sides. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk, brown sugar and salt. Whisk a small amount of hot cream into egg mixture; return all to pan, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until mixture is thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Stir in butter. Fold in pecans and coconut. If desired, stir in brandy. Cool., For whipped cream, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar and, if desired, brandy; beat until soft peaks form., Loosen sides of pan with a knife. Carefully run a knife around edge of springform pan to loosen; remove rim from pan. Serve pudding warm with sauce and whipped cream.

Steps:

• Slice the loaf of bread into 1-in cubes, about 11 c total. (Trim the crust off if desired; pieces of crust make chewy bits in the pudding) If you're preparing this ahead, spread the cubes on a baking tray and leave out overnight. Otherwise, toast the bread cubes in a 350°F oven, tossing occasionally, until they are dry, 30 to 40 minutes. Staled bread cubes can be stored in an airtight container for several days. When ready to make the pudding, prepare the cocoa custard filling. Warm the milk in a saucepan over medium heat or in 30 second bursts in the microwave until warm to the touch but not steaming hot. Remove the milk from heat and whisk in the cocoa, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Taste and add more cocoa powder or sugar to taste. Cool to room temperature; whisk in eggs. Fill a 2-quart (9x9-inch or deep 8x8-inch) baking dish with the bread cubes. Pack them in as tightly as possible; you may have some bread left over (this can be saved for breadcrumbs). Pour the cocoa custard filling evenly over the top of the bread. The filling should come almost to the top of the dish with some peaks of bread cubes left exposed. Cover the pudding and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325°F. Put the bread pudding on the counter to take the chill off as the oven heats. Remove the covering from the pudding and place it in the heated oven. Bake until the tips of the bread cubes are crisp and dry and a cake tester inserted into the middle of the pudding emerges with only a little chocolate, 45 to 55 minutes. Scatter the marshmallows over the top of the pudding. Turn on the broiler and place the pudding about 6 in. below the broiler element. Watch the pudding very closely. When the marshmallows puff up and start to toast, remove the pudding from the oven. Let the pudding cool for at least 10 min. before serving. Leftovers will keep for up to a week and can be eaten cold or reheated.