Brioche Chocolate Bread Pudding
Bread pudding: Those two words together might not sound like the most interesting dessert in the world, says award-winning chef Bobby Flay, but once you add a rich custard and ganache made with good-quality chocolate, it’s a whole new ball game. His daughter, Sophie, loves chocolate in general, so this is a great way to showcase one of her favorite ingredients while using up brioche that’s in its last days. Before baking, make sure to let the assembled bread pudding sit for 1 hour at room temperature. This allows the custard to fully soak into the bread.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. (500 g) day-old brioche bread, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) cubes (about 13 cups)
- 3 1/2 cups (28 fl. oz./875 ml) heavy cream
- 2 cups (16 fl. oz./500 ml) milk
- 1/4 tsp. fine salt
- 1 1/4 cups (10 oz./315 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 12 oz. (375 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 4 whole eggs plus 2 egg yolks
- 1 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 Tbs. turbinado sugar
- Vanilla ice cream for serving
Directions:
Preheat an oven to 325°F (165°C).
Spread out the cubed bread into a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake until dried out and lightly browned in spots, 20 to 25 minutes, stirring the bread two or three times during the baking time to ensure it browns evenly. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set aside to cool.
While the bread cools, in a medium saucepan, whisk together 2 1/2 cups (20 fl. oz./625 ml) of the cream, the milk, salt, granulated sugar and vanilla. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, whisking frequently until the sugar has dissolved, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, add half of the chocolate and whisk until completely melted. Set the cream/sugar/chocolate mixture aside and let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, place the remaining chocolate in a heatproof medium bowl. Pour the remaining 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) cream into a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then pour the cream over the chocolate in the bowl and let stand for 1 minute. Gently stir until smooth and set the ganache aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole eggs and egg yolks until smooth. Slowly add the reserved warm cream/sugar/chocolate mixture, whisking constantly. Strain the custard mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl.
Grease a 13-by-9-inch (33-by-23-cm) baking dish with the softened butter. Scatter half of the bread in a single layer in the baking dish. Pour half of the custard mixture over the bread and press down on the bread until it is submerged in the custard. Drizzle with 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) of the chocolate ganache (reserve the remaining ganache to use later as a topping). Top with the remaining bread and custard. Press down to submerge the bread. Some of the chocolate ganache will rise to the top and that is okay.
Allow the bread pudding to sit at room temperature for 1 hour, pressing down on the bread occasionally to make sure it is fully submerged in the custard.
Meanwhile, preheat an oven to 325°F (165°C).
Sprinkle the top of the bread pudding with the turbinado sugar. Make a bain-marie (water bath): Place the baking dish in a larger roasting pan and fill the outer roasting pan with hot tap water until it comes one-fourth of the way up the sides of the baking dish. Place the roasting pan in the oven and bake until the custard is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and the water bath and cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes.
When ready to serve, gently rewarm the reserved chocolate ganache in a double boiler or in a microwave on low. Drizzle over the bread pudding. Serve warm topped with vanilla ice cream. Serves 12 to 16.
Adapted from Sundays with Sophie by Bobby Flay (Clarkson Potter, 2022)
Recommended Products:
-
$35
-
$47.95
-
Sugg. Price $1,299.95 Our Price $1,039.96
(5)
-
$11.95
-
$64.95
-
$59.95
-
$11.95
-
$49.95
-
$24.95
