Chocolate Bread & Butter Pudding

Image credit - The Cotswold Company

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to cook a traditional Sunday roast for my parents and Mr Maggie May. I do this fairly often, but due to our recent travels and gallivanting, it had been a while since I last hosted lunch - so the phone call was made, a time was set, and a free range chicken was purchased. The only question which remained was arguably the most important one - what to make for pudding?

I love pudding. I have such a sweet tooth {people are often shocked by how much I crave sweet treats} and find myself regularly poring over recipes in my numerous cookbooks, anguishing over what to bake next. But this time, the decision was easy - because Mr MM wanted a classic bread and butter pudding. 

I had made bread and butter pudding only once before, and couldn't really remember what I had done or how it turned out - so I was determined to give it a good go, and make a pudding that would put a smile on all three of my loved ones' faces!

I decided to mainly use Gregg Wallace's recipe from Gregg's Favourite Puddings - it's a brilliant book which my sister-in-law bought for me a few years ago, chock-a-block full of good, old-fashioned British puds. Having done my research carefully, I simply tweaked the recipe for chocolate bread and butter pudding slightly, adding double cream to the mixture {I know, I know! I'm so naughty} I opted for the chocolatey version as my dad and I are huge chocolate fiends - so that was an extra little treat for us.

So here it is; the recipe for my version of chocolate bread and butter pudding. Enjoy!

Ingredients {Serves 4}
135g plain chocolate
35g unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon ground mixed spice
165g brioche, cut into thin slices
2 eggs
17g caster sugar
250ml milk
150ml double cream

Equipment-
1.8 litre/3 pint shallow ovenproof dish
Heatproof bowl
Saucepan
Whisk

Method
1. Begin by greasing your ovenproof dish, and preheating the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4. Melt the chocolate, half the butter and the mixed spice in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water.

2. Arrange about 1/3 of the the brioche slices in the prepared dish. Place spoonfuls of the chocolate sauce over the brioche, then cover with another 1/3 of brioche slices, and most of the remaining chocolate sauce. Arrange the rest of the brioche on top - I then put a couple of dollops of sauce on top so it would look all chocolatey and lovely as it came out of the oven.

3. Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan, then beat into the eggs, caster sugar, milk and double cream in a bowl. Pour over the brioche and leave to stand for half an hour.

4. Bake the pudding for about 45 minutes or until the crust is golden and has risen nicely. Serve with double cream {if you didn't accidentally pour it all into the pudding...}