bread pudding

When Life Gives You Stale Bread…Make Bread Pudding ;)

I’ll say this…we are using what we have, and I am loving it. My children aren’t big fans of leftovers. Yet, here we are eating them. This momma made a fresh loaf of bread because, bread is life and therapy for me. I took the uneaten bread, cubed it up, along with the rest of the borderline-toss-bread and made this little treasure. You too can make this magic with whatever you have on hand.

Bread pudding is the ultimate comfort food. It is warm, and sweet. It has crunchy parts (my favorite) and the soft parts (my daughter’s favorite). This one is literally a hodgepodge of the stuff I had to use in my pantry. No complaints friends, no complaints.

The basics in the recipe are: old bread, eggs, milk, sugar. I used part 2% milk and part almond milk, because it is what I had. You can alter the recipe to suit your supplies. I also added Vanilla Bourbon because, why not add booze to your bread pudding? I threw in chocolate chunks because I always have some sort of bagged chocolate in my baking stash. I sprinkled straight brown sugar on top, without nuts or anything else mixed in. Think little rivers of melty brown sugar puddled in the mix. But, if you have walnuts or pecans on hand, add away. You can even melt some butter and add that to the topping, if you want. There is nothing spectacular in making bread pudding, and yet…it is glorious.

You could share your stale bread with the critters outside… or you could take a few minutes and make this dessert. Which, by the way, could also be considered a breakfast of sorts…think French toast casserole.

Cube up your older bread and leave to get stale overnight. Butter a casserole pan of choice. Mix together eggs, milk, bourbon, vanilla extract, sugar. Add your goodies, chocolate chunks, pecans, raisins (never in my world but you do you), what have you. Sprinkle a topping on top if you want. Then bake. It is that simple.

I find that depending on the size dish you use to bake, you may have to cook a little longer. I do not like the idea of raw egg mix hanging out in the middle of my bread pudding. I bake it for additional 5-7 minute increments based on how it looks. It should not be runny, it should not look done. The edges should be golden and it will smell like deliciousness.

I will say that in this time of being home the salty has called out to me, the sweet has not. I also just haven’t wanted to bake. One, I am taking this meal-by-meal. Two, I can’t have an abundance of sweets in this house to be divided by three people, two of whom are new to leftovers. That said, when I did pull this out of the oven the kids emerged from their spaces and we all had a dish, warm from the oven. It was lovely.

Right now life is imperfect and different. We are making some things up as we go. And there are soft bits and crunchy bits. We mix and match and do the best we can. So hey, why not give that crusty bread a second chance to be something warm and delicious? You won’t regret it. I promise.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always…thank you for coming to the table.

Love, Chrissy

Click below for a printable recipe.

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When Life Gives You Stale Bread…Make Bread Pudding 😉

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This is a throw together, left over, waste-not-want-not dessert that is making the best of this time of COVID-19. There is no wrong path here…

  • Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale
  • 5 Large Beaten Eggs
  • 1 Cup White Sugar
  • 1 Cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 Cup Milk
  • 1 Cup Almond Milk
  • 3 Cups Cubed Stale Bread
  • 1 Bag of Chocolate Chunks/Chips (or whatever you want to throw in)
  • Butter to coat inside of casserole paper
  • Additional Brown sugar to top

Instructions

  1. Cube bread and leave out to get stale overnight.
  2. Preheat oven to 350* and lightly butter a casserole dish (I used an oval Corelle ware white casserole, you can use anything up to a 13×9″ baking pan).
  3. Mix together eggs, milk and vanilla in a bowl, incorporate sugars and mix thoroughly.
  4. Pour egg mixture over bread mixture and combine. Let sit for 10 minutes to soak in.
  5. Add chocolate chunks or other mix ins and put in casserole dish. (I actually poured the egg mixture over the bread in the casserole dish and let it sit…whatever is easier for you).
  6. Sprinkle additional brown sugar over the top of the saturated bread.
  7. Bake for 45 minutes minimally- check and continue to bake until it is set.

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Triple Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding

Coastal Maine is my happy place. For so many reasons, Maine holds my heart. This year we rented a house in Wells, and reveled in all of the goodness that comes with a quiet week near the ocean.

One of the “Bucket List” items for us is stopping at the When Pigs Fly Bakery in Kittery. They have large beautiful displays of artisan breads as well as classic breads, olive oils, baked goods, and pizza. For us, we always end up with at least two loaves: Orange, Toasted Walnut, and Cranberry Bread, and of course, Chocolate Bread. Oh yes, it’s a thing. If you ever get the chance, you need to go. If you don’t think Maine is in your future- not to worry…they have an online store and ship their products!  www.sendbread.com

Bread is an indulgence for me. Chocolate Bread? You get the picture. So, when we are left with almost a whole loaf, it’s not going stale, it’s going to be transformed into something next level.

This Triple Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding is a chocolate bread, with a chocolate custard, and chocolate chunks for good measure. Yep, that’ll do.

To make this bread pudding I did three things that I think impacted the end product:

  1. I let the cubed bread dry out overnight.
  2. I let the bread cubes sit in the custard to soak it up really well for 30 minutes before baking.
  3. I cooked it for a base time and then added increments of ten minutes until it was set.

All three things made a perfect storm for the perfect dessert. Another thing I tried and loved was in the prep of the casserole dish. Instead of adding cinnamon to the actual recipe, I used a combination of cocoa and cinnamon to coat the inside of the dish after buttering it. It was just enough.

You can eat this right out of the oven (or wait a while). It’s even good the next day if it lasts that long. Top it with fresh whipped cream (or even the kind from the can…I won’t tell).

Thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

 

 

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Triple Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding

Print Recipe

Decadent chocolate bread pudding made with three layers of chocolate. Chocolate bread, chocolate custard, and chocolate chunks! Served warm with fresh whipped cream or the next day cold, it’s indulgent and delicious.

  • Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com
  • Cook Time: 45-60 Minutes
  • Total Time: 8 minute
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Dessert

Ingredients

Scale

One loaf Chocolate Bread, cubed and dried out

5 Eggs

2 Cups Heavy Cream

1 TBSP Vanilla

1/3 C Dutch Processed Cocoa

2/3 C Light Brown Sugar

1 Cup Chocolate Chunks

1 TBSP Butter (softened) to coat Casserole Dish

2 TBSP Cinnamon and Cocoa to dust casserole dish after buttering

Instructions

Cut up bread into cubes and set out to dry.

Combine eggs, cream, vanilla, cocoa, and light brown sugar together until combined.

Toss bread into the mixture and coat. Let sit together for a minimum of thirty minutes so the bread gets saturated. Add the chocolate chunks (of your choice) to the mix and get ready to bake this chocolate goodness.

Use 1 TBSP butter (softened) to coat the inside of your casserole dish. I use a French White medium round dish for this recipe. Then dust the buttered dish with cinnamon and cocoa. Tap out remainder of powder and set aside.

When the bread and egg mixture are thoroughly combined, put into prepared casserole dish.

Bake at 350*

I baked this dessert for a base time of 45 minutes. However, when I checked on it, I decided to let it go another 10 minutes. Checked on it again and went another 10 minutes for 65 minutes total baking time. The thing about bread pudding is you want it cooked thoroughly. So take the time to test the center and make sure it is done. You don’t want it over cooked- so you need to find the sweet spot with this, pun intended.

Notes

 

I baked this dessert for a base time of 45 minutes. However, when I checked on it, I decided to let it go another 10 minutes. Checked on it again and went another 10 minutes for 65 minutes total baking time. The thing about bread pudding is you want it cooked thoroughly. So take the time to test the center and make sure it is done. You don’t want it over cooked- so you need to find the sweet spot with this, pun intended.

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can't wait to see what you've made!