4/21/09

TWD: Four Star Chocolate Bread Pudding


Bread pudding...I've always found it to be a strange concept- stale bread, soaked in a cream and egg mixture, then baked in a water bath? Let's face it, it's just odd. I've never been the biggest fan, but I figured that I'd try this one out because it is a chocolate bread pudding after all! This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was chosen by Lauren of Upper East Side Chronicle (the recipe can be found on her blog). I'll be honest with you, I didn't love this dessert- but I didn't dislike it either. The flavor was delicious- creamy, chocolaty, rich, but I just can't get past the strange texture of bread pudding. It just has that weird almost wet, squishy thing going on and I can't stop thinking about the fact that there are pieces of bread in it. Anyway, that's obviously my issue because the bread pudding lovers in my life really enjoyed it!


I used brioche with raisins from a local bakery for my bread and I think that the buttery-ness of the brioche really added to the richness of the dessert and soaked up the liquid really nicely. I cut the loaf up and let it sit out on the counter for two days so that the pudding wouldn't be soggy and that method seemed to work well. I refrigerated the pudding overnight before cutting into it and it held its shape beautifully. I can't say that I'd make this again for myself but I would definitely make it for anyone who requested it because it was very very easy to make!

So, in other news I'm finally in the third trimester of this pregnancy and July seems closer than ever! Pretty much every random stranger in the grocery store, mall, etc. feels the need to tell me that I look like I'm "about to go any day now"...umm ok how about three months from now?! The only person who seems not to have noticed the watermellon that has sprung up in my mid-section is Helen Mae who has absolutely no concept of her new little sibling's impending arrival. Thank goodness she has mad pouting skills:

10 comments:

Wandering Coyote said...

I've only just started to appreciate bread pudding. Neither of my parents liked it, so we never had it growing up. Now that I've had it, I love it!

doughmesstic said...

Wow. I think the two of us felt exactly the same way about this recipe! I was afraid I would be the only one wo couldn't get past the consistancy.

I remember being pregnant in the summer. Ugh. You hang in there. Of course, you've done this before, and you are MUCH younger, so you'll sail through it! Just wait until some whack-o at Walmart tell you her Mom was pregnant with her for 12 months, and the only reason she was born at all is because a traveling chiropractor yanked on the pregnant mother's legs and bam - the next day she was born.
Yeah, right.
Just thought I'd share! :)

chocolatechic said...

I didn't much care for this one.

I think I need to make a sauce for it.

Anonymous said...

My daughter was born in July and my son exactly 14 months later in September. Life will be VERY busy for you for a while!

I'm a bread pudding fan, and this chocolate version was a bonus.

Anonymous said...

I'm with you 100%. I enjoyed the taste, I didn't like the texture. Your bread pudding looks fantastic though.

Unknown said...

This was my first time trying bread pudding and I was surprised that I really enjoyed it! Sorry it wasn't your favorite. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy :)

Lauren said...

Thanks for baking along with me and trying new things. It is a kind of homey dessert and can be made quickly. All the best with the new addition.

margot said...

That's great that other people really enjoyed it since it wasn't your favorite; it looks terrific.

Pamela said...

Ouch...Helen Mae DOES have mad pouting skills!! She's beautiful. Hang in there, July will be here before you know it. Nice job on the bread pudding!

TeaLady said...

She is adorable in her pout mode.

I haven't tried the pudding yet, it is in the oven now, so I hope I like it better than you did, cause I LOVE bread pudding.

Yours looks really good.