Decadent Chocolate Bread Pudding Recipes

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:

• Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the cream, milk, vanilla seeds and pod, and cinnamon sticks, if using, in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for 30 minutes to infuse flavors.
• Cut the brioche into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut slices into quarters, setting aside the rounded top pieces. Fill a 9-by-12-inch gratin dish or a deep oval roasting dish with the quartered pieces.
• Return the milk mixture to a boil, remove from heat, and discard vanilla pod and cinnamon sticks. Add chocolate, and whisk until smooth. Combine egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl, and whisk to combine. Pour chocolate mixture very slowly into egg-yolk mixture, whisking constantly, until fully combined.
• Slowly pour half the chocolate custard over bread, making sure all the bread is soaked. Arrange the reserved bread on top in a decorative pattern, and press firmly so bottom layer of bread absorbs chocolate mixture. Spoon remaining custard over bread until completely covered and all cracks are filled. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the dish; press down to soak bread thoroughly. Remove plastic, wipe edges of the dish with a damp towel, and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Place gratin dish in a larger pan; fill outer pan with hot water halfway up the sides of the gratin dish. Bake until set, about 35 minutes. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes.
• Whisk the creme fraiche until soft peaks form. Serve pudding warm, garnished with creme fraiche and chocolate shavings.

Steps:

• Place sugar in a large bowl. Sift over it the cornstarch, cocoa and salt. Add 1/2 cup of the milk and stir the mixture to make a thick paste. Lightly beat the egg yolks, then add these to the cornstarch mixture, whisking to blend well. Wrap a damp towel around the base of the bowl to prevent it from sliding around when the scalded milk is added.
• Meanwhile, in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan, combine the remaining 2 cups milk and the cream. Bring these just to the boil, then remove the pot from the heat. Pour a small amount of the hot liquid into the cornstarch-cocoa mixture, whisking constantly. Continue to whisk the milk-cream mixture into the bowl gradually, until all of the liquid has been incorporated, and the mixture is smooth. Rinse out the pot used to scald the milk and the cream, but don't dry it: this will help prevent the pudding from scorching on the bottom. Pour the custard into the clean pot and add the vanilla.
• Have ready a clean mesh sieve over a medium sized bowl. Return the pot to the stove and stir with a wooden spoon over low to medium-low heat until the custard thickens, about 5 to 7 minutes. It should approach but never quite reach, a boil and be about the consistency of mayonnaise when it's done. This custard behaves strangely, you may fear something has gone terribly wrong, but press on! It will get increasingly lumpy to the point where, just as it reaches the right thickness, it will seem downright chunky: never mind! Quickly remove the pot from the element and pour through the sieve into the clean bowl, pressing the custard through with a rubber spatula.
• Add the finely chopped or grated chocolate in 2 additions, stirring gently with a clean wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the chocolate is melted smoothly into the pudding. Spoon the pudding into 6 to 8 serving dishes or goblets and chill at least 6 hours or overnight. If you like the pudding with no skin on the top, press plastic wrap onto the surface of the warm pudding in the serving dishes. If a skin on your chocolate pudding makes you happily nostalgic, wait until the puddings are cold before covering. The pudding can be made up to 2 days ahead of time.
• Serve just as it is, or with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream for a truly decadent dessert.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• Lightly grease a 13x9 inch baking dish.
• Place the bread in the baking dish.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, cream and liqueur.
• In another bowl, combine the granulated and brown sugars with the cocoa powder and mix well.
• Add this to the milk mixture and whisk to combine.
• Add the vanilla and almond extracts and the cinnamon to the beaten eggs.
• Combine the egg mixture with the milk mixture and mix well.
• Stir in the grated chocolate.
• Pour the mixture evenly over the bread cubes;.
• Let stand, stirring occasionally, for at least 20 minutes, or until the bread has absorbed most of the milk mixture.
• Bake the pudding for 1 hour, or until set;.
• a knife inserted into the center of the pudding should come out clean.
• Serve the pudding warm or refrigerate it and serve chilled.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°.
• In a medium saucepan, combine whole milk with the vanilla bean and seeds and the salt; bring to a simmer.
• Cover and allow the milk stand off the heat for 15 minutes.
• Discard the vanilla bean.
• Add half of the chopped milk chocolate to the warm milk and whisk until smooth.
• Let the milk and chocolate mixture cool for 15 minutes.
• Whisk in the eggs.
• In a 9 x 13" baking dish, toss the croissant cubes with the remaining chopped milk chocolate.
• Pour the chocolate custard over the croissant pieces; press lightly to submerge them in the custard.
• Bake for 30 minutes, until the bread pudding is risen and set.
• Let the chocolate bread pudding cool slightly, then cut it into squares and serve warm, with ice cream.
• To Make Ahead:.
• The bread pudding can be refrigerated overnight. Be sure to rewarm the pudding before serving.