Taste of Life: Chocolate Bread Pudding

By Chef Paul Bodrogi

Ingredients

1 loaf of challah bread,
   cut into squares
1 qt. half and half
4 eggs
8 yolks
1 oz. sugar
4 oz. chocolate, melted
1 oz. chocolate chips
oz. cocoa powder
2 oz. butter, softened

Preparation

1.    Coat a 9x16 baking dish with the softened butter. Add the cut bread to the baking dish.
2.    Combine the eggs, yolks, sugar and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl.
3.    In a medium pot, bring the half and half to a boil.
4.    Stir 4 ounces of the boiling half and half into the egg mixture. Then, stream in the remaining half and half.
5.    Whisk of the mixture into the melted chocolate. Add the chocolate mixture back into the egg mixture.
6.    Pour the mixture over the bread. Sprinkle it with the chocolate chips.
7.    Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until firm in the center.

Paul Bodrogi is a pastry chef, Pastry Live event producer and instructor at Chattahoochee Technical College.