Bread pudding is the dessert you make when the bread has gone a day past its best and you refuse to waste it. Cubes of buttery brioche soak up a vanilla custard, chocolate chips melt into the gaps between them, and the whole pan bakes into the dish in the photograph: golden on top, soft and custardy underneath, chocolate pooling wherever a chip landed, all of it in a plain glass dish that goes straight from the oven to the table.
It works because the bread is dry enough to drink. Fresh, soft brioche turns to mush in custard; day-old brioche, or cubes dried briefly in the oven, soaks up the eggs and cream without collapsing, so each cube keeps its shape while the centre stays spoonably soft. That contrast — crisped edges on top, pudding-soft middle — is the entire point of the dish, and it is why the soaking step matters more than any fancy ingredient. Give the bread a full 15 minutes in the custard before it goes in the oven, and press the cubes down once so none of them bake dry.
This belongs in our Desserts collection next to our classic rice pudding with cinnamon — another humble, custardy comfort dessert — and if you want the same chocolate hit in a smaller format, our easy chocolate chip cookies use the same semisweet chips. Serve the pudding warm, in generous scoops, with softly whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting over the top.
Dry bread is not a flaw — it is the ingredient
If your brioche is fresh, cut it into cubes and dry them in a 300°F (150°C) oven for about 10 minutes, until they feel dry on the outside but are not toasted brown. Stale bread works straight from the bag. What does not work is soft sandwich bread straight from a fresh loaf: it has too much moisture already, so it dissolves into a uniform paste instead of holding distinct, custardy cubes. Challah is the best substitute for brioche, and a sturdy French bread works too, though the result is a little less rich.
Keep some chips on top, on purpose
Half the chocolate chips go into the custard-soaked bread and half are scattered over the surface just before baking — exactly as in the photograph, where the chips sit visibly on the golden top. Chips buried deep melt into the custard and flavour the whole pudding; chips on top stay distinct, soften into little pools, and give each serving its chocolate hit at first bite. If you stir all of them in, the pudding still tastes good, but it loses the look that makes people reach for a second scoop.
Ingredients
- 10 cups brioche cubes (about 500 g), from 1 loaf day-old brioche
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (170 g), divided
- 4 large eggs (about 200 g)
- 2 cups whole milk (480 ml)
- 1 cup heavy cream (240 ml)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150 g)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (15 ml)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (1 g)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (1.5 g)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (28 g), melted, for greasing
- Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, to serve
Amounts are for the yield below. US customary measures first, grams in brackets for scale users.
Step-by-step instructions
- Prepare the bread. Cut the brioche into roughly 1 inch (2.5 cm) cubes — you need about 10 cups. If the bread is fresh, spread the cubes on a baking sheet and dry them in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 10 minutes, until dry to the touch but not browned. Let them cool while you make the custard.
- Make the custard. Whisk the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth. There should be no streaks of egg white left; whisk a little longer than feels necessary, because uneven custard bakes into uneven pudding.
- Soak the bread. Add the bread cubes and 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips to the custard and stir gently so every cube is coated. Leave to soak for 15 minutes, pressing the cubes down once halfway through so the top layer drinks too. The bread should look saturated but still hold its cube shape.
- Fill the dish. Brush a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) glass baking dish generously with the melted butter. Tip in the soaked bread and custard, scraping every drop of custard from the bowl, and spread it into an even layer. Scatter the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips over the top, tucking a few into the gaps between cubes.
- Bake until just set. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is deeply golden and crisped at the edges and the centre barely wobbles when you shake the dish. A knife inserted in the centre should come out with moist crumbs, not liquid custard. If the top browns too fast, tent the dish loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
- Rest, then serve. Let the pudding rest for 15 minutes before serving — it firms up as it cools and cuts into much cleaner scoops. Serve warm in generous spoonfuls, with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. The chocolate is at its best while the pudding is still warm enough to keep the chips soft.
Nutrition estimate
| Nutrient | Per serving |
|---|---|
| Calories | 420 kcal |
| Protein | 9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 52 g |
| Fat | 20 g |
| Saturated fat | 11 g |
| Sodium | 290 mg |
| Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 30 g |
Nutrition figures are estimates calculated from standard ingredient data for the yield stated. Your actual values will vary with brands, substitutions and portion sizes — treat them as a guide, not a guarantee.
Storage & reheating
Covered in the refrigerator, the pudding keeps for up to 4 days; reheat individual servings in a 325°F (163°C) oven for about 12 minutes, or in the microwave for 60 to 90 seconds, until warm through. It also freezes well for up to 2 months: cool completely, wrap the dish tightly, and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Nutrition figures are estimates per serving and vary with the bread and chocolate used; estimates vary.
Easy Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding
Buttery brioche, vanilla custard, melted chocolate — baked until golden.
Ingredients
Tick ingredients off as you prep, and tap a step below to mark it done as you cook. Scaling adjusts the listed amounts - seasoning to taste stays your call.
Instructions
- Prepare the bread. Cut the brioche into roughly 1 inch (2.5 cm) cubes — you need about 10 cups. If the bread is fresh, spread the cubes on a baking sheet and dry them in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 10 minutes, until dry to the touch but not browned. Let them cool while you make the custard.
- Make the custard. Whisk the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth. There should be no streaks of egg white left; whisk a little longer than feels necessary, because uneven custard bakes into uneven pudding.
- Soak the bread. Add the bread cubes and 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips to the custard and stir gently so every cube is coated. Leave to soak for 15 minutes, pressing the cubes down once halfway through so the top layer drinks too. The bread should look saturated but still hold its cube shape.
- Fill the dish. Brush a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) glass baking dish generously with the melted butter. Tip in the soaked bread and custard, scraping every drop of custard from the bowl, and spread it into an even layer. Scatter the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips over the top, tucking a few into the gaps between cubes.
- Bake until just set. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is deeply golden and crisped at the edges and the centre barely wobbles when you shake the dish. A knife inserted in the centre should come out with moist crumbs, not liquid custard. If the top browns too fast, tent the dish loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
- Rest, then serve. Let the pudding rest for 15 minutes before serving — it firms up as it cools and cuts into much cleaner scoops. Serve warm in generous spoonfuls, with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. The chocolate is at its best while the pudding is still warm enough to keep the chips soft.
Recipe by Ahsan ul Haq · FryDaily. Printing? This card is designed to print cleanly on its own.
