Bourbon Chocolate Bread Pudding
A well-coordinated set of ingredients -- wouldn't you like a dress made with these colors?
The ingredient that makes the pudding in bread pudding: eggs!
student epicure calls for dark chocolate and not too much sugar so the bread pudding isn't too sweet.
Merrill shows off her coordination, pouring milk into the eggs as she whisks!
We used Bulleit Bourbon, and plenty of it.
The chocolate and dried bread cubes are combined first with the raw (turbinado) sugar.
And then the milk and eggs, and together they macerate for 45 minutes.
Then in they go into a baking dish. student epicure doesn't butter the dish but if you do, the pudding will come out easier when serving.
It's a little ragged looking in the baking dish, but what it lacks in beauty it makes up for with flavor.
We check the pudding for doneness by pressing on a bread cube in the center of the pan and if it springs back, the custard is set and the pudding is done.
Author Notes: Bread pudding is the ultimate comfort food for me. I don't like desserts that are too sweet, so I use dark chocolate here and only a moderate amount of sugar. This is not a dessert for children -- the bourbon definitely adds a kick! There are only a handful of ingredients, so I try to use the best quality possible: local farm fresh eggs, the best chocolate I can afford, and a really good loaf of French bread. My experience has taught me that you can cut corners on the bourbon. My favorite to use is Rebel Yell. - student epicure —student epicure
Food52 Review: Amply boozy yet not too sweet, we liked student epicure's unabashed take on the bread pudding. The dessert takes about 5 minutes to put together (not counting 45 minutes of soaking, during which time you can assemble the rest of your meal). And it calls for ingredients that you probably have lying around the house (if you don't have bourbon -- why don't you! -- you can use rum). We see this as the perfect impromptu dinner party dessert. - A&M —The Editors
Serves 6
- 2 cups whole milk
- 4 eggs
- 1/3 cup bourbon
- 8 ounces 72% dark chocolate, chopped
- 4 cups day-old French bread cubes (packed)
- 1/2 cup turbinado sugar
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Whisk together milk, eggs, and bourbon. In a large bowl, combine the liquids with the chocolate, bread cubes, and sugar. Toss to coat and set aside to soak for about 45 minutes. Gently stir once or twice while soaking.
- Pour mixture into a 1.5 quart baking dish. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the custard has set and the top of the pudding is slightly crispy (be careful not to overcook). Serve warm or at warm temperature.
- Your Best Bread Pudding (Sweet, not Savory) Contest Finalist!
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over 2 years ago Garlic Fiend
I just found this recipe for something to do for St. Patrick's Day that is easy and also using ingredients I already have on hand. This is my first bread pudding, ever.
Easy and delicious! Will definitely make it again! For those who needed to know, I measured out the bread cubes and 4 packed cups is about 6 oz of a baguette, cut into 1/2-3/4" cubes.
My changes: doubled the recipe and baked in a glass 9x13 pan, used skim milk, granulated sugar, Ghiarardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips, and mix of bourbon and Irish whiskey (ran out of bourbon). I also followed suggestions and added about 1C of dried tart cherries soaked in Irish whiskey. I would've liked to have more cherries, but I love dried cherries. I had to bake for an additional 15 min for the pudding to set in the middle.
I served it with an Irish cream sauce I pulled from epicurious.
about 3 years ago Nicole
I loved this recipe! Turned out perfectly. I omitted the sugar and tossed in a couple bananas that I needed to use up.
over 3 years ago Peanut
Sorry "Veronique" but your recipe seems way toooo long for me to fiddle with.....Food 52s much easier... Penny~
over 3 years ago angela
Fantastic - i was very popular at the dinner party i brought this too - i baked it at mt friends house so everyone loved the scent if it baking too :) Thanks for the great easy crowd pleaser
almost 4 years ago Diane
Wonderful!. I can't drink, so I left the bourbon out. In it's place, I caramelized the sugar in the recipe with a 1/3 cup water to a light amber color. I think I managed to maintain the bit of smokiness and lovely color of the bourbon. In an case, a wonderful bread pudding. Thank you!
almost 4 years ago theworldsaplate
I tried this recipe yesterday - my first time making bread pudding - and it worked out surprisingly well. I used skim milk instead of whole, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and dried cherries as suggested in the comments below. The cooking time, however, went well beyond 40mins - I think about 70mins, but came out perfectly.
over 4 years ago Marisa R
I have tried to make bread pudding twice now...onece it was quite dry so I the next one I soaked overnight although it was really moist I think it could have been too mushy...what's the correct texture supoosed to be like...My English friends say originally is was quite dry..the American was is way creamier
about 5 years ago crispylikechicken
I made this bread pudding (absolutely delicious) and added a simple bourbon sauce on top- it was delicious and impressed my friends =)
about 5 years ago Betty N
I don't have any bourbon on hand, but as soon as I can, will purchase it to make this lucious sounding bread pudding. However, I do have toasted bred cubes, done recently to save left over bread and have the toasted cubes for bread pudding adn other dishes calling for bread cubes. Will they work in this recipe? BettyN
over 5 years ago LivedinItaly
I, like veronique, found the end product dry. I use a second thermometer in the oven to ensure proper temperature but think it may be the amount of bread used. "4 cups day-old French bread cubes (packed)" can vary depending upon how tightly 'packed' on fills the cup. I do believe the use of weights, when possible, will provide a more consistent result. One question I have is if the baking dish was buttered before pouring in the mixture?
over 5 years ago student epicure
sorry to hear the product turned out dry! i agree that weights are helpful and i will add them next time i make this, as i have a newly acquired kitchen scale. the pudding is definitely very liquidy and moist before i put it in the oven. i don't butter my dish -- i always use a le creuset casserole dish.
over 5 years ago fitfish25
delicious, thank you! I pre-soaked dried cherries and it tasted great. :-)
over 6 years ago MZG
This is a delightful weeknight dessert. I substituted dark chocolate chips in lieu of shaving a chocolate bar, making the preparation even easier. I also used Challah (we get a loaf every week courtesy of my son's school so we always have a surplus) with good results.
about 6 years ago student epicure
so glad you enjoyed it! and lucky you, having a surplus of challah!
over 6 years ago Stacey Snacks
I have a similar recipe on my site, but I add some orange marmalade to the bread w/ the chocolate and bourbon. I use Blanton's or Woodford Reserve bourbon and this recipe is the best! We love it, it's my go to bread pudding.
http://www.staceysnacksonline...
(not sure why that commenter was so disappointed......bread pudding is bread, eggs and milk and whatever else you want to add.....no rules!).
about 6 years ago student epicure
nice! love the orange-chocolate combo...i'll definitely have to try it! (i'm actually starring at a bottle of blanton's in it's velvety bag as i type...)
over 6 years ago elizabethpollet
hi! i was wondering if it was ok if it soaked longer in the fridge. i'd love to make it earlier in the day and just pop in oven from the fridge while people were eating dinner. is that a no no? thanks!
over 6 years ago student epicure
i just got back from vacation and saw your question now! you know, i honestly don't know. i worry the bread might get too mushy and lose some of its texture...but at the same time, there is so much egg that it does form a good custard, which might compensate. my gut sense is that it might not work, but if you experiment and it does, do let me know!
over 6 years ago spiffypaws
This is an elegantly simple recipe to make, and just as good to eat. I wouldn't change a thing. It was so good, I had it for breakfast this morning. Is that a bad???
over 6 years ago student epicure
so glad you enjoyed it! and no, not bad at all to eat for breakfast. in fact, i do that myself =)
over 6 years ago healthierkitchen
Glad this just popped up on my screen. I've saved it and will make it the next time I need a special dessert!
over 6 years ago student epicure
great! let me know how it goes!
over 6 years ago fitsxarts
this is soooo delicious. i used a can of low-fat coconut milk from traders joe's and 1/4 c. heavy cream to replace all the whole milk. and only 3 eggs, since that's all i had and we're stuck in a blizzard here. it's going to be hard to make the dish last a few days...
over 6 years ago student epicure
yum! coconut milk sounds like a wonderful addition! so funny -- i was going to make this for my classmates at school, but was snowed in so i couldn't buy the ingredients. stay warm!
over 6 years ago Megalania
Great success! I doubled this recipe except for the chocolate, of which I only had 11 oz of 78% cocoa. It had a great balance of intensity and mildness, and was pleasantly not too sweet or rich. I wish we had any leftovers so that I could have this for breakfast. I would be curious to taste the difference with a nicer bourbon than Evan Williams...
over 6 years ago student epicure
so glad you enjoyed it! i'll be honest, i've never tried it with a nicer bourbon -- let me know if you do!
almost 7 years ago lpcooks
I made this last night and it came out wonderful. The only thing I would adjust is the amount of chocolate. I added 6 oz, but I would have just put in 3 oz. There was such a lovely boozy taste but I felt like it was masked by the chocolate. But a great dessert, especially since it is so easy to prepare.
almost 7 years ago lpcooks
Could I make this in individual ramekins? Or would it cook incorrectly?
Showing 28 out of 46 comments