Spiced Chocolate Bread Pudding

This treat is especially tantalizing when it's drizzled with dulce de leche.






Ingredients

1 loaf(s) (12-ounce) egg bread, such as challah

3 cup(s) whole milk

1 1/4 cup(s) sugar

1/2 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon

1 pinch(s) cayenne (ground red) pepper

1 pinch(s) salt

1/2 cup(s) heavy or whipping cream

4 ounce(s) unsweetened chocolate, chopped

7 large eggs

6 ounce(s) (1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips or chunks

Dulce de leche or vanilla ice cream, if desired

Dulce de leche, for drizzling, if desired

 

 

Directions

1. Grease shallow 3-quart baking dish.
2. Cut bread into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Toast lightly until golden brown. Cool completely, then cut each slice in half diagonally.
3. In 3-quart saucepan, whisk milk, sugar, cinnamon, cayenne, salt, and cream to blend. Heat on medium until bubbles form around edge. Add unsweetened chocolate and whisk until melted. In large bowl, whisk eggs until blended. Continue whisking while adding hot chocolate mixture in slow, steady stream.
4. In prepared dish, decoratively arrange slices of toast in overlapping layers to cover dish evenly. Scatter chocolate chips over slices of toast, then pour chocolate mixture evenly over all. Cover with plastic wrap. If toast slices are not coated with chocolate mixture, gently press down to coat with mixture. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover bread pudding and bake 45 minutes to 1 hour or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool on wire rack at least 15 minutes.
6. Cut bread pudding into squares. Serve with ice cream or drizzle with dulce de leche if desired.

From Good Housekeeping/ Posted by Mags