Mocha Bread Pudding

This dessert is a delicious take on the concept of bread pudding. It comes together with very little effort, and tastes wonderful with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a dollop of freshly whipped cream. I originally found this in the April 2009 edition of "Mix", a dining magazine we receive along with our newspaper. I've made this family favorite many times, and have added a few tweaks along the years. I thought it would be fun to share on here!

I haven't quite figured out how I want to integrate pictures onto this blog, so for now, I'll have a series of pictures at the end, after the recipe.

Here's the recipe:

• 1 loaf challah bread, or 1 medium loaf of white bread
• 2 cups half & half
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp fine coffee powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 cup whipping cream (can be substituted with milk)
• 3/4 cup of brown sugar + 1 tbsp to sprinkle (optional)
• 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Meanwhile, cut the bread into 1" cubes and spread onto rimmed, foil-lined baking sheets. Set in the oven to toast for 20 minutes. 

While the bread is toasting, whisk together half & half, coffee powder, cocoa powder, and salt in a saucepan on low heat. Bring to a simmer, being very careful to whisk often to prevent it from sticking or curdling. Take off heat and set aside. 

Chop the bittersweet chocolate into fine pieces. Next, add chocolate, whipping cream, brown sugar, and eggs one at a time to the cooled half & half mixture. Whisk together thoroughly until completely combined. Place the toasted bread cubes in a large bowl and pour the pudding mixture over it, stirring carefully to combine. Allow the bread to sit in the pudding for about 3 minutes, and the transfer to a greased, oven-proof 13" x 9" pan. At this point, you can sprinkle the additional tablespoon of brown sugar on top of the pudding if you wish. Bake for 45 minutes at 325 degrees, until the top is slightly crispy. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. 

Challah Bread

Pudding mixture with chopped chocolate

Ready to bake!