Chocolate Brioche Bread Pudding Recipe {Delicious and Easy!}
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The most delicious way to use up leftover brioche bread. This brioche bread pudding recipe is rich, comforting, and drizzled with an easy chocolate ganache for extra indulgence. Each bite is the perfect blend of a soft, chewy texture with bursts of sweet chocolate.
The is one of the best desserts you didn’t know you needed.
This chocolate brioche bread pudding will wow your guests with flavor. And with only 10 minutes of prep time, it’s easy to make also.
Bread pudding is a classic way to use up leftover bread on the counter. And though most crusty bread will work, using Brioche bread specifically gives the pudding a natural sweet flavor. This results in a crusty but soft texture with the rich indulgence and natural comfort of chocolate.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Classic: this brioche bread pudding recipe is a classic dessert with a heavenly chocolate twist.
Easy to make: you only need about ten minutes to get the bread pudding in the oven making it quick to whip up.
Rich flavor: the bread pudding itself is sweet and delicious. Topped with drizzled chocolate makes it even more indulgent.
Adaptable: it’s easy to add a few extras to the dessert depending on personal preferences.
Ingredients You Need
Brioche bread: all you need for this simple bread pudding recipe is cubed stale bread. However, brioche bread adds an extra special sweet flavor and chewy texture that makes a classic dessert better, so save that stale brioche.
Heavy cream: make sure to grab the full-fat version so that the dessert comes out ultra-rich. You want the cream to soak into the bread. You also need this for the ganache to get the best texture.
Baking staples: you’ll need milk, 4 whole eggs, egg yolks, white sugar, and salt for the bread pudding to come together.
Semi sweet chocolate chips: there’s enough sugar in the recipe that semi-sweet chocolate works perfectly.
Cocoa powder: this is what will help give a rich chocolate flavor to the pudding.
Seasonings: vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg lend a warming comfort to the dish. Know that the higher the quality of your vanilla extract the more the flavor will come through.
How To Make It
There are three simple parts to making the Brioche bread pudding recipe. Though the steps seem high, it’s really a very easy bread pudding recipe!
For the chocolate custard:
1. Heat the milk and cream together until how pour it over 1 cup of the chocolate chips. Let it sit and then mix until combined.
2. In a large bowl combine the eggs, egg yolks sugar, cocoa powder, nutmeg, and salt until smooth.
3. Slowly whisk in the melted chocolate.
Make the bread pudding:
1. Bake the cubed bread in the oven and bake until lightly toasted.
2. Place half of the bread cubes into a baking dish. Sprinkle on half of the remaining chocolate chips and pour on half of the custard. Mix to coat it all.
3. Repeat this with the remaining ingredients and place it on top of the first layer mixing it all together.
4. Cover and let it all sit for 45 minutes before baking it in the oven.
Topping it with chocolate ganache:
1. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream on medium heat until hot.
2. Pour it over a bowl of the chocolate chips and let it sit for a few minutes.
3. Whisk in the vanilla until everything is combined and smooth.
4. Drizzle the ganache over the cooked brioche bread pudding and serve.
Important Tips to Make This Simple Recipe
If your brioche bread is very stale, you may not need to toast it in the oven. You want it crunchy though and the oven helps dry it out.
It’s stale, dried-out bread that will absorb the most liquid resulting in a soft, chewy texture.
When adding the melted chocolate to the egg mixture, make sure to whisk as you go so that it doesn’t clump.
Don’t overlook letting the bread sit before baking it. This allows it time to soak up all the deliciousness of the custard.
You know your bread pudding is done when you insert a toothpick into the middle, and it comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
Serve the chocolate bread pudding topped with extra chocolate chips, powdered sugar, soft vanilla ice cream, or fresh strawberries.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge after letting them cool. Stored like this they should last 4-6 days. From there you can reheat the bread pudding in portions in the microwave or in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
Make it ahead of time by preparing the dish up until letting the bread soak up the custard. From there, cover it in aluminum foil and pop it into the fridge. When you need it, let it come to room temperature and bake is per the instructions. This is a great make-ahead dessert!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is brioche bread?
Brioche bread is a very rich bread that has a sweeter flavor. Texture wise it’s soft and buttery making it perfect for dessert.
How do you know when bread pudding is done?
Use the toothpick test. Insert a toothpick into the bread pudding in the center of the dish. If it comes away clean or with just a few crumbs the bread pudding is done cooking.
Chocolate Brioche Bread Pudding
A mouthwatering twist on a classic dessert this chocolate brioche bread pudding recipe comes with a warm, delicious flavor and soft chewy texture all drizzled with rich chocolate ganache.
Ingredients
Bread Pudding
- 1 lb brioche bread, cut into cubes
- 1 ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 ¾ cup milk
- 1 ½ cups semi sweet chocolate chips
- 4 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
Ganache
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- Extra chocolate chips
- Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the cubed bread onto a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes until lightly toasted, stirring once halfway through.
- In a bowl add one cup of the chocolate chips to a bowl and set aside the other ½ cup for later.
- Heat the milk and heavy cream together in a saucepan until hot and steaming. Pour over the chocolate chips and let sit for 5 minutes. Mix together until everything melts together and is smooth. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl add the eggs, egg yolks, white sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Whisk everything together until smooth.
- Slowly add in the melted chocolate, whisking as you pour into the egg mixture.
- Once combined, this is now the chocolate custard that will coat the bread.
- Place half of the bread cubes in the 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle ¼ cup of the set aside chocolate chips and then pour half of the chocolate custard over the bread as well. Stir to coat everything evenly.
- Repeat this with the second half of the bread, chocolate chips and custard, placing on top of the first layer. Mix everything together once more so the bread is coated evenly.
- Cover with foil and let the bread sit to soak up most of the custard for 45 minutes.
- Bake in the oven, covered, for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
- About 10 minutes before the bread pudding is done baking, make the ganache.
- In a saucepan, heat the heavy cream until hot and steaming.
- Pour over a bowl of the chocolate chips. Let sit for 3 minutes. Whisk together until smooth and then add the vanilla extract, whisking again until combined.
- Once the bread pudding is finished baking, drizzle the ganache all over the bread pudding, using as much or as little as desired.
- Top with any extra toppings, such as powdered sugar, extra chocolate chips, ice cream or fruit and enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 301Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 97mgSodium: 144mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 1gSugar: 25gProtein: 5g
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