Cleaning Out the Freezer… Et Voila Chocolate Babka Bread Pudding!

I inventoried our basement freezer this weekend and way back on the top shelf where I keep bread products, I found a loaf of chocolate babka.  Not any chocolate babka, but babka from Zabar’s in NYC.  Grace sent it in a gift box for my mom’s birthday in September; since we had lots of chocolate babka left over from when she came in August for our trip to the shore, I had popped this goodie into the freezer.

I decided it would be a perfect candidate for bread pudding.  Think about that– layers of chocolate and bread, soaked in a custard and baked til fluffy and creamy with a chocolate brown crust.  I usually make my bread pudding from a one pound loaf of French bread or challah, so I knew how much eggs and milk to use; I reduced the amount of sugar I used and just for fun, used dark brown instead of regular white granulated sugar.  The pudding bakes low and slow for over an hour until a knife slipped into the center comes out clean.

Chocolate Babka Bread Pudding

• 1 loaf of chocolate babka (at least 1 lb, my loaf was 22 oz)
• 5 eggs
• 4 cups of half and half (or any combination with milk and cream)
• 1/2 c dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 TB vanilla

Cut up the babka into 1 inch chunks/cubes:

Cubes of chocolatey goodness!

In a medium mixing bowl (I used a batter bowl measuring cup) beat 5 eggs, then add the half and half.

Custard base

Add the brown sugar and whisk until dissolved:

Whisk thoroughly

Add the cinnamon and vanilla and blend again:

Lots of vanilla

Place the babka pieces into a casserole that has been sprayed with cooking spray, then pour the custard over the cubes.  Use a spoon to ensure all cubes are soaked in the custard.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 1/2 hours.

Make sure all pieces have been coated with the custard.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Place pudding in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hr and 15 minutes, or until pudding is brown and puffy, and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

The chocolate aroma is everywhere!

Let cool briefly, then serve.  You can also cool and refrigerate; slice or scoop out portions and reheat to serve.

What could be better than a chocolate bread pudding on a winter day?