By Savini Gauri
This sinfully yum Banana and Chocolate Bread Pudding tastes like a warm hug in a bowl. For the best taste and texture, use any bread of your choice, caramelised bananas and good quality chocolate. Usually, when someone offers me bread pudding it's a hard pass for me. The thought of stodgy and soggy white bread swimming in a pool of custard sounds like a big waste of calories to me. But I took it as a challenge to make a bread pudding that I actually like and has good texture rather than being soggy chunks of bread. So here I present to you this REALLY DELICIOUS Banana and Chocolate Bread Pudding. And to top it all? I made it using my Brioche Loaf recipe.
This homemade Banana and Chocolate Bread Pudding is warm, fluffy, and custardy. The rich, sweet taste of caramelised banana pairs so wonderfully with the fluffiness of the Brioche bread —this bread pudding is serious comfort food material.
So let's get started!
Reasons why you should make this Banana and Chocolate Bread Pudding ASAP
1. It's an all-season dessert - Duhh!!! Have it warm during winter or have it chilled during the summer.
2. The fluffiness of the bread – I used my Brioche Loaf recipe in this. It's suffer fluffy and light. And the best part? It won't get soggy at all (it's the worst when soggy)
3. The silky custard – It is aptly rich and light at the same time. It's super silky and gets absorbed by the bread beautifully.
4. The extra brown and crispy top – Since this bread pudding is slow baked, it develops a beautifully caramelised crispy crust that compliments the bottom layer of the soft and moist centre.
5. It is just so pretty. Period. – It's a treat to look at. A golden brown top with a pale centre, beautifully caramelised banana and chocolate chips. What else does one want from a bread pudding?
6. Super easy to make – It doesn't use any unusual ingredients (you know I'm not a big fan of using anything that I can't pronounce) It's a straight-up gorgeous looking Bread Pudding with yummy Chocolate chips and caramelised bananas. And it requires minimal skill… while still looking incredibly impressive. And this Banana and Chocolate Bread Pudding is the perfect example – it’s lush and rich and just rustic enough, so you don’t have to worry about it being absolutely perfect.
So, what ingredients do we need?
As always we'll be using simple and easily available ingredients with names that are not complicated:
brioche bread (or challah or croissants or any other kind of bread)
bananas (ripe ones)
chocolate chips or chunks (whichever you can find easily)
cream
milk (skimmed, full fat or whichever you have at home)
cornflour
unsalted butter
powdered or caster sugar
egg yolks
whiskey or rum (optional)
salt
So, let's get started!
First, take any bread loaf (I used a brioche loaf). Cut the loaf into 1 inch X 1 inch cubes and keep them aside.
Then take the bananas and slice them up (1/3 cm thick). Now take a heavy-bottomed pan and sprinkle the powdered sugar on it and neatly place the banana slices on the sugar. Add on top a dollop of butter. Then, heat the pan on medium heat until the sugar is completely melted. Once the sugar starts to turn yellow and pale turn off the heat. We don't want to caramelise the bananas completely since they will also get cooked in the oven.
Transfer the bananas into the baking dish. Place them in one neat layer. And sprinkle half of the chocolate chips.
Now take a bowl and mix the egg yolks, sugar, whiskey/rum, cornflour and warm milk. Whisk until completely smooth. Use half the brioche cubes and layer them up on top of the caramelised bananas.
Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top of it. Now put the remaining brioche cubes on it. Take the liquid mixture and pour it on top of the bread. Make sure all the bread gets nicely soaked in it. Then brush the top with soft butter.
Preheat the oven at 180°C. Bake the bread pudding for 45-50 minutes or until it develops a nice and golden crispy crust. To check if your bread pudding is ready, gently press the top and if any liquid oozes then it means that it requires more baking time. But if it feels spongy and bouncy then it is ready.
Let it cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes and it's ready to go.
Then simply serve it on its own or with a dollop of greek yoghurt or even a scoop (or three) of vanilla bean ice cream.
Happy Baking!
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Banana and Chocolate Bread Pudding
This sinfully yum Banana and Chocolate Bread Pudding tastes like a warm hug in a bowl. For the best taste and texture, use any bread of your choice, caramelised bananas and good quality chocolate. Usually, when someone offers me bread pudding it's a hard pass for me. The thought of stodgy and soggy white bread swimming in a pool of custard sounds like a big waste of calories to me. But I took it as a challenge to make a bread pudding that I actually like and has good texture rather than being soggy chunks of bread. So here I present to you this REALLY DELICIOUS Banana and Chocolate Bread Pudding. And to top it all? I made it using my Brioche Loaf recipe.
Course Dessert, Pudding
Prep Time 15 minutes
Bake/Cook Time 45-50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Ingredients
600 grams Brioche loaf (or any bread of your choice, like challah, croissants, sourdough etc..)
2 bananas (ripe)
1/2 cup chocolate chips or chunks
4 egg yolks (at room temperature)
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened for bananas + 1 tbsp for brushing
1/4 cup + 1/4 cup (100 grams) caster or powdered sugar
1/8 cup whiskey or rum (optional)
1/2 litre milk (warm) (skimmed, full-fat, or any kind you have)
1 pinch salt
2 tbsp cornflour
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180 ºC.
Take the brioche loaf and cut it into 1 inch X 1 inch cubes. Keep aside.
Peel the bananas and slice them (each slice about 1/3 cm thick).
Take a heavy-bottomed pan and sprinkle 1/4 cup of powdered sugar on it and neatly place the banana slices on the sugar. Then add 2 tbsp of butter.
Heat the pan on medium heat until the sugar is completely melted. Once the sugar starts to turn yellow and pale turn off the heat. (We don't want to caramelise the bananas completely since they will also get cooked in the oven.)
Transfer the bananas into the baking dish. Place them in one neat layer. And sprinkle half of the chocolate chips.
In a bowl, mix the egg yolks, 1/4 cup sugar, whiskey/rum, cornflour and warm milk. Whisk until completely smooth. Keep aside.
Take half the brioche cubes and layer them up on top of the caramelised bananas. (see picture for reference)
Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top of it. Now put the remaining brioche cubes on it.
Take the liquid mixture and pour it on top of the bread. Make sure all the bread gets nicely soaked in it. Then brush the top with 1 tbsp soft butter.
Bake the bread pudding for 45-50 minutes or until it develops a nice and golden crispy crust. ***To check if your bread pudding is ready, gently press the top and if any liquid oozes then it means that it requires more baking time. But if it feels spongy and bouncy then it is ready.***
Let it cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes and it's ready to go.
Storage instructions: This Banana and Chocolate Bread Pudding keeps well in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. (though it never lasts that long).
