Bread Pudding

Hi guys! Your cooking class hero has been feeling a little homesick lately, so I decided to make something deliciously warm and comforting to cheer myself up!

This bread pudding is so amazing; between the layers of nutella and bread, topped with MORE nutella, some chocolate chips, and a touch of brown sugar that caramelizes to give you a crunch, nothing tops this pudding!
One spoonful of this and my dark cloud was gone! Not that anyone stops at a spoonful ;) Bread pudding is a fairly new dessert to me, but it's quickly become one of my favorites. Though it seems odd, for me, bread pudding is one of those desserts that's for special occasions. I don't mean Christmas, or Eid, or even Birthdays. I mean special occasions where you feel like everything would just be better with a hug but a regular hug just isn't quite cutting it. That's when you make bread pudding and you hug yourself from the inside out :) I was definitely in need of a hug, and I feel so much better after a few scoops of this pudding! Are you ready for some love? Here we go!

I know this looks like it won't make much, but this recipe covers an entire 9x13 pan, filled to the brim with yummy goodness. So the first thing you want to do, is set out about 12-15 slices of bread for at least an hour. I set mine out overnight, which gives it a little bit of a crunchier texture, but I think it's delicious! Once you've got the bread ready to go, grease the pan and preheat your oven to 350 F. Rip the bread pieces up into bite sized nuggets and spread it out in an even layer in the bottom of the pan. Once you have an even layer, take about 3 tablespoons of nutella, and drizzle it over the layer of bread. It's okay to have bigger chunks in one section than another, that's what makes it yummy!

This depends on the bread you're using, but I got one layer out of about 3 slices of bread. This could take more or less for you, but just make sure you have one solid layer of bread before you start to drizzle the Nutella. Once you have enough Nutella to make yourself giggle with joy, go back to ripping up bread to make another layer. The goal for the next layer isn't to cover the ENTIRE pan (if you do, more power to you), the goal is to just cover the bits of Nutella you've spread on your first layer. You'll repeat this layering process until you run out of bread.

Once you've completed that step, whisk together all of your eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla in a bowl, and then pour it over your bread and Nutella layers. I know the mixture is quite liquidy, but just make sure that you distribute it EVENLY throughout the bread. Since it may be denser in some sections than others, it won't spread evenly to all the bread pieces by itself, you have to guide it through the pan. Now here comes the fun part! Take a fork, and press down each and every piece of bread you can see floating above the top. Make sure you push down hard! The goal here is to push out all of the air from the bread and force it to soak up your egg mixture and really make that flavor get in there. Since you have layers of Nutella, don't be alarmed when some comes out through the slots in your fork. This is totally normal, and you will still have your layers of nutella in there, it's just that some of it has risen to the top.

Take your time on this step, you want this to be really moist and delicious! And keep in mind that you are using some harder bread so it will take a good amount of time to soak up all moisture that it can. After you've pressed down every inch, it's time for toppings! I chose to drizzle more Nutella (could not refuse an extra layer), chocolate chips, and brown sugar. Just sprinkle those over the top any way you'd like, and pop it in the oven!

Stick it in the oven for about 45 minutes, checking it every so often to make sure that you're not overcooking it. Being that this will brown, your first instinct is going to be to cook it ALL the way through. But this is supposed to be pudding, so checking for doneness might seem a little confusing. The only thing you need to worry about are the edges: When the pudding is done, the edges will be browned and pulling away from the sides. The middle WILL be jiggly, but as long as there is no visible liquid, you are good to go!

Look how yummy! Someone else in Mr. H's apartment thinks so too, I see...

Well, if we can thank the anonymous bread pudding lover for anything, it's for giving us this lovely crumb to look at :) Look at those luscious layers of nutella! This post is making me hungry just writing it! After 2 spoonfuls of this pudding, I'm definitely in for a late dinner - this pudding is surprisingly filling! It's so dense and heavy, that I'm treating this like a cake - 2x2 squares is a serving. Which means you've got roughly 24 servings in this one batch. The calorie count for this entire batch is quite high! But if you're following my serving size suggestion, it's a great treat that won't kill your calorie count for the day (which makes this dessert so much sweeter). You can bet I'll be making this again! As always, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed today's recipe. Leave me a comment and tell me what YOUR favorite pick me up treat is when you're not feeling you're best :)



Today's calorie count is: 186 Calories per serving!
Ingredients:
12 slices day old bread
4 tablespoons melted butter
8 eggs (beaten)
4 cups milk
1.5 cups white sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Chips
Brown Sugar

1.) Preheat oven to 350 F, and grease 9X13 pan
2.) Rip up slices of bread into bite sized pieces; cover bottom of pan (it's okay to layer it, but make sure you've covered the bottom evenly).
3.) Whisk together everything but the butter in a bowl
4.) Pour the melted butter over the top of the bread pieces, then pour the egg/milk mixture over the bread.
5.) Once you've poured that over the bread, take a fork and push down each piece of bread to push the air out and soak up the eggs and milk
6.) Sprinkle chocolate chips  over the top of the  pudding, and stick the pan in the oven. Cook for 45 minutes.