Easy and Tasty Double Chocolate Bread Pudding Recipe

Ingredients

Dulce de leche:
2 14-oz. cans sweetened condensed milk

Pudding:

1 1-lb. day-old loaf French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
6 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract


Directions

    1. Make dulce de leche: Pour condensed milk into a bowl; set over a pot of simmering water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is very thick and golden brown, about 2 1/2 hours. Add more water to pot during cooking time, if necessary. Remove bowl; set aside to cool.

    2. Make pudding: Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Spread bread in dish; sprinkle with chocolate. In a bowl, whisk both sugars, cocoa and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk milk, half-and-half and eggs. Dissolve espresso in vanilla; whisk into egg mixture. Whisk egg mixture into bowl with cocoa mixture. Pour over bread cubes. Cover loosely; let stand for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 325°F.

    3. Remove cover. Bake pudding until puffed and set in center, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Insert a small knife into center; it should come out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes. Drizzle with dulce de leche and serve with ice cream, if desired.