Double Chocolate Bread Pudding

Double Chocolate Bread Pudding

Today has been a bit of a crazy day. I have been finishing up things left undone and re purposing things. It becomes almost a game with myself not to let anything go to waste and it's always been that way. That is not to say I am a pack rat. Don't think so....things get pitched but only after it's been determined there isn't another chapter to be written.

Let's take today for example. There were about 6 slices of chocolate pound (recipe on 5/15/11) cake left under the cake dome. It had been a 16-18 serving tube cake and I decided to wrap each piece in waxed paper and then drop the slices in a freezer bag and freeze them for a later go as a chocolate raspberry, or maybe chocolate cherry trifle! It is still quite good but it's time to move it on.

Then there was about a 3" end piece of the Raised Chocolate Coffee Cake (recipe on 5/19/11). I carefully removed the wrapper and sliced it into 6, 1/2" slices and laid them out on a pizza stone. Then they went into a preheated 250 degree F oven for a couple of hours to dry while I did laundry and vacuumed the stairway. 

The original recipe was from a Martha Stewart episode but I have adapted it as follows:

1 1/2 T. butter softened plus additional to prepare the baking dish, Martha's version used 1 T.
6 slices Raised Chocolate Coffee Cake or 8 slices packaged cinnamon raisin bread toasted or dried
2 C. whole milk
6 oz. semi sweet chocolate or Martha's version used 3 oz.
2 large eggs
1/2 C. sugar
1 t. vanilla, original version used 1/2 t.
2 T. powdered sugar
optional ice cream or sweetened whipped cream

Butter a 11" x 7" glass baking dish and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. If you have not done so toast the bread using a toaster or in the oven is fine. 

Using a medium saucepan combine milk, chocolate, and butter over medium heat stirring constantly until the chocolate is melted. 

Tear the bread into pieces and scatter it in the bottom of the buttered dish. 

Whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl. After the chocolate is totally melted temper the egg mixture by pouring about a 1/4 of a cup of the hot milk in and whisk to temper. Add a little more hot liquid continuing to whisk until it is all combined well. When the liquids are one pour altogether over the bread. 

Push the bread under the custard to soak all of the pieces. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until puffed. Remove from the oven and dust with powdered sugar.

This may be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled. It is also quite good with a dollop of ice cream or whipped cream.