Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding

When we talk about comfort food, I think Bread & Butter Pudding will definitely feature somewhere in the top favourites. With loads of warm custard or even a dollop of good quality vanilla ice-cream, it makes me feel like diving into the bowl.

You can use the very simple regular white bread, brioche or some left over breakfast pastries. Both will give an excellent final product. But, my favourite is to use the very famous Italian Panettone. The rich and delicate, leavened sour dough from the region of Milan. Try to buy the good quality handmade ones. The result will be ultimate.
( In this recipe I am not using any butter as I am using panettone. Even if you are using croissants or brioche, there is no need to add butter. But, if you are using regular bread, it’s important to butter every slice of bread.)

Ingredients

Panettone – 1 large loaf
Dark chocolate – 1/2 cup
Egg yolk – 8
Double cream – 1.5 cups
Whole milk – 1.5 cups
Vanilla essence – 2 tsp
Sugar – 1 cup ( adjust up to your taste)

To serve – custard or vanilla ice-cream and good quality chocolate sauce

Method

Use your hand to tear the panettone into bit size pieces.
Spread it on a baking tray around 15 cms long.
Chop up the dark chocolate and spread evenly.
Mix in the egg yolk, milk, double cream, sugar and the vanilla in a bowl.
Pour the mix on the baking tray.
There should be enough liquid to cover all the bread.
Allow the bread to soak in the mix for around 1 to 2 hours.
Cover the tray with an aluminium foil and bake at a temperature of 170°c for atleast 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the custard is nicely absorbed.
Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes to create a crust on top of the pudding.
Serve it with warm custard or vanilla ice cream.
A pouring of chocolate sauce on the side will add to the glamour.