Chocolate Chip Brioche Bread Pudding

Chocolate Chip Brioche Bread Pudding is a rich and decadent dessert that will satisfy your sweet tooth. Its custard-like texture is punctuated by gobs of melted chocolate making every bite simply heavenly.

It can be enjoyed warmed up by itself or accompanied with Easy Homemade Whipped Cream and fresh berries or a scoop of ice cream. This easy chocolate bread pudding recipe is a perfect way to use stale bread and takes under 90 minutes to make.

Jump to:

• About Chocolate Chip Brioche Bread Pudding
• How to Upcycle Stale Bread
• What Does Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding Taste Like?
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• How to Store and Reheat Bread Pudding
• How to Freeze Bread Pudding
• Top Tip
• Did You Like This Recipe?
• Chocolate Chip Brioche Bread Pudding
• Food Safety

About Chocolate Chip Brioche Bread Pudding

• Taste - The combination of rich chocolate, soft brioche bread, cinnamon, and sugar is perfectly rich.
• Texture - The bread pudding is moist and thick yet fluffy.
• Effort - It is a simple recipe that requires just a little effort to mix the ingredients in the sauce pan.
• Time - Prep takes 20 minutes and cook time is about 1 hour.

How to Upcycle Stale Bread

We've all had a loaf of bread that sat in the refrigerator too long or a baguette that dried out before we could finish it. Luckily, breathing new life into stale bread is a deliciously easy thing to do! Many noteworthy dishes call for stale bread including Crispy Panzanella, rich Thanksgiving stuffing, and Brioche French Toast! All of these incredible dishes call for some good old stale bread.

One of my favorite ways to employ stale bread is by making chocolate bread pudding. We often buy a loaf of brioche from Trader Joe's that we can never finish before it goes stale. Instead of throwing the bread out, we turn it into Chocolate Chip Brioche Bread Pudding. We toast the brioche before we pour the custard on top to add more texture and we spread the chocolate chips over everything so every bite feels like your first. The brioche soaks up the custard mixture like a sponge and the pudding turns out smooth and creamy.

Chocolate Chip Brioche Bread Pudding is a great weeknight dessert to make. You can even top it with some fresh berries, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.

What Does Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding Taste Like?

Chocolate Chip Brioche Bread Pudding has a custardy texture, with bits of crunch and chewiness from the toasted bread. It also has notes of vanilla, cinnamon, and melted chocolate. Brioche bread pudding tastes similar to French toast, in that it is also a custardy treat that can be topped with berries and Easy 2-Ingredient Whipped Cream.

The rich and creamy texture of bread pudding is attributed to the type of dairy you use. We recommend using milk with high-fat content, such as whole milk, heavy cream, or half and half. In fact, milk with a fat content lower than that of whole milk will not be creamy enough, resulting in dryer, less rich bread pudding.

While this is a dessert, Chocolate Chip Brioche Bread Pudding is not overly sweet. It calls for just a quarter cup of sugar, allowing the hints of vanilla, cinnamon, and sweet chocolate chips to shine. When combined, these ingredients make for a deliciously creamy, textured bread pudding you can enjoy for both dessert and brunch.

Ingredients

• Whole milk - Has a high fat content that makes the bread pudding rich and creamy.
• Butter - Also contributes to the creamy richness of the bread pudding.
• Vanilla extract - Enhances the other flavors in the dish.
• Cinnamon - Adds a light spice.
• Sugar - Granulated sugar adds sweetness and locks in moisture.
• Salt - Accentuates the flavors of the Cake.
• Eggs - High quality, room temperature eggs create a rich batter. Room temperature egg yolks break easily and mix evenly with the wet ingredients.
• Brioche - A fluffy sweet bread that makes the perfect base for the bread pudding.
• Chocolate chips - We recommend semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks because they are the perfect combination of sweet and rich.
• Powdered sugar - Adds a sweet final touch.

Instructions

Chocolate Chip Brioche Bread Pudding is incredibly approachable and easy to make. It's honestly difficult to make a mistake when making this recipe, so it's perfect for a beginner baker or someone who wants a quick and delicious dessert.

• Preheat the oven - First, heat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bake the Brioche - Place the bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast the bread for 10-15 minutes or until they turn a golden color, flipping halfway through.

• Make the Custard - In a saucepan on low heat, warm the milk, butter, vanilla extract, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Once the butter is just melted, remove the pan from the heat to cool. Once the mixture cools down, add the eggs and whisk. Be careful to not add eggs to a hot mixture, or the eggs will cook.
• Soak the Toast - Fill a 9 inch baking dish such as a pie dish or brownie pan with the toasted brioche cubes and toss the mixture with chocolate pieces. Gently shake the pie dish so the bread settles. Then, pour the milk and egg mixture over bread and let the bread soak up the custard mixture for about 15-20 minutes.

• Bake the Bread Pudding - Bake for 40-45 minutes or until custard is cooked, but slightly wobbly and the bread is slightly brown. Then, dust with powdered sugar. To get an even amount of powdered sugar on the top, you can use a sifter. Then, serve the Chocolate Chip Brioche Bread Pudding warm and top with berries, ice cream, or Easy Homemade Whipped Cream.

Substitutions

• Baguette - A blander flavor than brioche, use this if you want a less rich bread pudding.
• Challah - An eggier and richer bread, use this if you want to make your bread pudding extra rich.
• Raisins or Cranberries- Instead of chocolate, you can make this brioche bread pudding with raisins or cranberries. After you soak the toast, just scatter the raisins or cranberries over the the soaked bread then press them into the bread.
• Milk, dark, or white chocolate chips - Substitute semi sweet chocolate chips with white, dark, or milk chocolate chips if you prefer.

Variations

• Pecans - You can top the bread pudding with pecans for a rich and nutty crunch. Just sprinkle them on the bread pudding within 10 minutes before the bread pudding is finished baking.
• Extra chocolatey - Add an extra ¼ cup of chocolate chips to make the bread pudding extra chocolatey.

Equipment

Chocolate Chip Brioche Bread Pudding requires just a few kitchen essentials, all of which you can use for many other common recipes. To make bread pudding, you will need a baking sheet, whisk, saucepan, pie dish, measuring cups, measuring spoons, and sifter.

How to Store and Reheat Bread Pudding

Bread pudding can be stored in an air-tight container or covered with foil for up to 2 days in a refrigerator, as milk and eggs can spoil at room temperature. If by the second day, the bread pudding is dry, you can add a splash of cream, or top with ice cream or whipped cream to make it moist again.

To reheat bread pudding, heat the oven to 300° F and warm the leftovers in the oven for 5 minutes.

How to Freeze Bread Pudding

You can freeze bread pudding to have on hand for future dessert needs. Frozen Chocolate Chip Brioche Bread Pudding can be baked ahead of time and kept in the freezer for up to 2 months.

First, bake the bread pudding then cool the baking dish in the refrigerator. This will prevent the baking dish from breaking or bacteria from forming. Then, store the baking dish inside of an air-tight freezer bag and store it in the freezer.

When you are ready to eat the bread pudding, thaw the dish in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, make sure the bread pudding is completely thawed. To reheat the entire dish, heat the oven to 300 degrees F and warm the leftovers in the oven for 5-8 minutes.

Top Tip

Use high quality chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, or chop your own baking chocolate to ensure that the chocolate flavor is rich.

Did You Like This Recipe?

If you enjoyed this recipe, please rate and comment below! For more recipes like Chocolate Chip Brioche Bread Pudding, check out:

• Easy Strawberry Shortcake with Homemade Cream
• Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake
• Creamy Fig and Honey Mascarpone Tart
• White Peach and Cherry Galette

Food Safety

• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.