Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding

Bread and butter pudding is one of my favourite puds...made even more lush by adding in chocolate...

Chocolate Bread & Butter Pudding

300ml (1/2 pint) milk
150ml (5 fl oz) double cream
(if you don't want to use cream  you can just use all milk)
5 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
40g (1 1/2 oz) sugar
50g (2oz) butter or margarine
8 slices of bread or you can use brioche, croissants whatever you have left over, this works particular well with chocolate chip brioche buns
100g dark or milk chocolate (your choice)

Add the vanilla extract to the milk and cream then warm in a saucepan (or in the microwave) until just below boiling then add in the chocolate, broken into pieces and stir until the chocolate has melted.   I usually make this with all milk and it works brilliantly but if you want to make it for a special occasion or you just love cream then go for it.

Butter the bread and cut into triangles.  If you are using brioche rolls or croissants cut them into slices about the width of a normal slice of bread and butter them.  Arrange the slices into a buttered ovenproof dish.

Beat together the eggs then stir into the chocolate milk mixture.

Pour the custard over the bread and leave to stand for half an hour.

Place the dish in a roasting tin and pour hot water into the tin so that it comes about half way up the side of the pudding dish (a bain marie).

Bake in the oven at Gas mark 3/170C/325F for one hour, until the custard has set.

You can sprinkle the top with a tablespoon of brown sugar and toast under the grill for a minute or so to give it a crispy top.