Gluten-Free Chocolate Bread Pudding
January 07, 2020
We hosted some friends of ours for dinner on New Year's Eve, and I was looking to make a dessert that was a bit out-of-the-ordinary...something a step up from the usual tried-and-true favorites. So I looked through my dessert recipe binder, where I store the dozens -- maybe hundreds -- of dessert recipes I've collected over the years. I ran across one for Chocolate Bread Pudding, something I've enjoyed at restaurants but never made myself. I don't know where this recipe is originally from, as it's from a page I ripped out of a magazine years ago.
In order for our Celiac son to be able to enjoy it, I tailored the recipe to be gluten free. This was easy, as all ingredients called for are naturally gluten free, minus the main ingredient, bread. For the bread, I simply substituted Canyon Bakehouse's 100% Whole Grain Country White Bread.
Here is the recipe. I was so happy with how it turned out. It is not overly sweet but has a wonderful chocolate flavor. It's also quite easy and can be made earlier in the day and kept at room temperature.
Ingredients:
Butter for pan
4 eggs, plus 4 additional egg yolks
1 cup sugar
2 cups half-and-half or heavy cream (I used half-and-half)
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 loaf gluten free bread, cut into cubes (I used Canyon Bakehouse Country White Bread)
Ice cream or whipped cream to top it off, if desired
Instructions:
1.) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2.) Lightly butter a 11 x 13 baking dish
3.) Whisk eggs, yolks, and sugar vigorously for 3 minutes. At the same time, heat half-and-half (or heavy cream) over medium heat. Simmer; do not boil.
4.) Pour half-and-half over egg mixture. Stir to combine.
5.) Pour this into a bowl holding the finely chopped bittersweet chocolate. Mix until smooth.
6.) Place bread cubes into the prepared baking dish. Pour chocolate mixture over. Stir to coat all bread cubes.
7.) Cover with foil and bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes.
8.) Cool to room temperature. Serve cut into squares and top with either whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Serves 12.
For more easy, delicious gluten free dessert recipes -- as well as numerous savory recipes for main courses -- visit the Gluten Free Recipes page of our Blog.