A warm chocolate bread pudding!! What better way to enjoy the winter with a warm baked casserole of deliciousness.

Bread pudding is easy to make and a make-ahead dessert. This purely chocolatey and comfort food is loved by my kids. Sharing it here and waiting for you to try and let me know how it went.

When any guest arrives, I make this well ahead. I set the bread the day before and just before serving I do the final baking.

So let's get started!

Supplies

Ingredients:

6 1/2 cups (453g) bread cubes
1 1/2 cups (255g) semisweet chocolate, chopped, or chocolate chips, divided
1 cup (198g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (43g) unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch-process or natural
3 cups (680g) milk
6 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Vanilla Essence

Step 1: Prepare the Bread

Take a days-old bread. Make into small square cubes. Don't make it too small a piece too.

The pudding texture is good when there are few chunks.

Mix in half the quantity of choco chips with the bread slices.

I have used chocolate chips here. You can also use chocolate bars chopped. Use your favorite chocolate be it dark or milk.

Step 2: Prepare for Melting the Chocolate

Here we need to melt the rest of the chocolate chips.

In a pan take the rest of the chocolate, cocoa powder, sugar, and half the quantity of milk.

Step 3: Melting the Chocolate Chips

In low to medium heat keep stirring the mixture till it becomes a smooth and thick consistency.

Please keep stirring else there are chances for the mixture to get burned at the bottom. Regulate the heat too.

Transfer to a large bowl.

Step 4: Prepare the Chocolate Custard

In another bowl whisk the egg, rest of the milk, vanilla essence, and salt with a balloon whisk.

Pour this mix into the warm chocolate mix by stirring continuously else you will cook the eggs.

Give a good mix till everything comes together.

Step 5: Soak the Bread

Take a baking dish in which you would like to bake. Grease the pan with butter and add in the bread and choco chips mix that is made in the first step.

Now pour in the chocolate custard and leave it to rest for about half an hour. The bread will soak in the custard.

Step 6: Baking

Preheat the oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.

Bake at 180 degrees Celcius for about 30 minutes. Check the pudding. It shouldn't be very dry too. So if you feel that it's getting dry take it out before the 30 minutes too.

The pudding tastes good warm and it's such a comfort food. You can have it for your breakfast on a cold winter morning.