If there's a better way to use up leftover bread than covering it in chocolate banana cream, I can't imagine what it is. Well.... perhaps homemade croutons? No. Close, but no banana. 😂 🙄
Bread pudding is one of those things that shows up in cuisines from everywhere around the world in one form or another, which makes sense. Ingenious people everywhere have, at one time or another, looked at their leftover bread and come up with new ways to use it up. Waste not want not. Especially when you can cover it in cream and sugar.
In the US we tend to like our bread pudding sweet (what a surprise) and topped with sauce (so typically over the top). This chocolate banana bread pudding, my friend, is firmly in that camp. Chunks of thick sourdough bread are soaked in a sauce of cream, Nutella, and mashed banana, dotted with chocolate chips and then baked until it turns into a rich and creamy chocolatey scoop of heaven with a consistency that's a cross between chocolate cake and chocolate pudding.
More chocolate recipes you might like:
- Marble Chocolate Cheesecake
- The Ultimate Chocolate Cake
- The Best Chocolate Cupcakes
- Dark Chocolate Brownies
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Banana Sourdough Bread Pudding
Sourdough bread is baked in a luscious Nutella chocolate banana cream. The crème anglaise is optional. This bread pudding is also delicious on its own, completely unadorned, or with slightly sweetened whipped cream or with vanilla ice cream,.
Ingredients
FOR THE BREAD PUDDING:
- 9-10 oz. sourdough bread cut into 1-inch cubes (approximately 6 cups) (*If the crust is particularly tough, remove it before cutting and measuring the cubes)
- ½ cup bittersweet dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- 3 large egg yolks
- ½ cup nutella
- ¾ cup mashed very ripe bananas (about 2 medium bananas)
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
FOR THE CREME ANGLAISE:
- 1¾ cup whole milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
MAKE THE CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING:
- Put the bread cubes in a 9-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the bread.
- In a large bowl, add the cream, milk, egg yolks, Nutella, mashed banana, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk vigorously until combined. Pour mixture over the bread crumbs. Push the bread down into the liquid to make sure it's all saturated. Let rest for 20 minutes to absorb.
- Heat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Use your fingers to sprinkle the brown sugar over the top of the bread pudding and bake for 40-50 minutes, until set. To check for doneness, cut into the center of the pudding. If the center looks liquid, bake for a bit longer. If it looks "set" like warm pudding, remove the pan from the oven.
- Let cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before serving.
MAKE THE CREME ANGLAISE:
- Pour the milk into a heavy bottomed medium size saucepan and cook over medium heat until bubbles appear along the edges of the pan.
- While the milk is heating, add the sugar and egg yolks to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is thickened slightly and pale yellow. Beat in the cornstarch.
- With the mixer running, gradually pour the heated milk into the egg yolks in a thin steady stream. Stop the mixer halfway through pouring in the milk to quickly scrape down the sides of the bowl. Resume beating at medium speed to slowly add the remaining milk.
- Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the spoon with a light, creamy layer. Do not let the mixture come close to boiling. The maximum temperature it reaches should be 170 degrees.
- Strain the sauce into a bowl through a fine mesh strainer and stir in the vanilla. Cover and refrigerate. Custard sauce can be served either warm or cold and will keep for 1 week, covered in the refrigerator.
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Jennifer says
Good recipe to start with, but it needs a bit MORE. More cinnamon and some nutmeg or something. I’d also say that the amount of Nutella overwhelms the banana a bit. If I were to make this again, I’d just make some micro adjustments.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Jennifer! I love that you're thinking about how to tweak this recipe. 🙂 The next time you make it, will you let me know what changes you settle on? I'd like to know for sure, but I'd bet other readers would as well. xo