A rich and sumptuous chocolate version of the classic British bread and butter pudding. The top is crisp and buttery and the bottom is smooth and custardy. Despite the chocolate, this dessert is a frugal dish. It’s a great way to use up stale bread. I’ve added a few chocolate buttons for extra oomph, but you don’t need to.
I first came up with this chocolate twist on a classic when I was sent some sachets of Truvia to use. The pudding was delicious and certainly healthier than one made with sugar, but I actually prefer the less pronounced flavour of sugar, so that’s what I tend to use now.
If, however, you’re interested in a low or no sugar version, I have given the Truvia recipe further down the post.
What Is Bread And Butter Pudding?
Bread and butter pudding is a traditional British dessert. It was one of our staples when I grew up. You butter slices of bread then bake them in a sweetly spiced creamy custard, usually with dried fruit. It’s filling, tasty and nutritious and thus perfect for feeding families.
The exact date when our modern version of bread and butter pudding emerged is unclear, but recipes go back a few centuries. What is certain is that it was a popular dessert for using up bits of stale bread when food was a lot more expensive than it is now.
No Sugar Truvia
Just before my January healthy eating resolve dissolved, I was sent some sachets of Truvia to use. The sachets measure a third of a teaspoon and are really designed for use in cups of tea or coffee. One sachet is equivalent to a teaspoon of sugar.
There has been a re-emergence of interest in stevia recently which is the main constituent of Truvia. Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) is a plant which tastes incredibly sweet, but has zero calories, making it quite tempting as a sugar substitute. It does have a bit of an acquired taste, but in all its years of use, no negative effects have yet been proven.
Truvia also contains a bulking agent, erythritol, another non calorific sweetener. Presumably to make it more practical to use.
We’ve grown stevia for many years and use it to sweeten stewed fruit, tomato sauce and so on. Our plant was unfortunately killed in the hard winter of a couple of years ago, but we still have some dried leaf left. I was interested, therefore, to try a commercial product which dispenses with all the green leaf material leaving just the active ingredients in a white caster sugar like form.
As it happens, I don’t like sweet drinks so I had no interest in using it in my cup of tea. Instead I had some left over bread I thought would lend itself very nicely to a bread and butter pudding.
It’s been years since I made this very British dessert. I’ve no idea why I’ve waited this long because it’s a really good one. I also had some lovely fairtrade chocolate to finish off, so I included that along with the bread.
Chocolate Bread And Butter Pudding
This chocolate bread and butter pudding may not look like the prettiest of desserts, but make it once and you’ll want to make it again. I’ve used wholemeal (whole wheat) bread, so it doesn’t look beautifully golden as it would with white bread. However, I like the flavour, texture and nutritional value of wholemeal, so that’s what I use.
My first attempt at chocolate bread and butter pudding turned out even better than I hoped. I was concerned that the chocolate on the top would burn, but no, it melted beautifully. The top was crisp and buttery and the bottom was smooth and custardy. The chocolate gave it an added richness that turned it from an everyday pudding (as if I made puddings every day) into a special event.
We ate it warm whilst the chocolate was still melted and it felt truly decadent, but really wasn’t. The Truvia gave just the right level of sweetness, but had an aftertaste which is not unpleasant, but takes some getting used to if you are unfamiliar with it. Greedy souls that we are, CT and I consumed the whole thing in one sitting. It was soooo worth it. At least we knew the sugar count was low.
I’ve subsequently made this chocolate bread and butter pudding a few times and over the years I’ve improved the recipe.
Chocolate Bread And Butter Pudding Ingredients
The main constituent of bread and butter pudding is, not surprisingly, bread. It’s best to use slightly stale bread which is a bit more robust than fresh and less likely to disintegrate.
I like to use sturdy wholemeal bread which soaks up the custard beautifully. You can, however, use whatever type of bread you like. But please don’t take the crusts off, there’s no need.
Other than that, it’s just the butter to spread on the bread and milk, sugar, chocolate, eggs and vanilla extract to make the custard.
It’s best to use dark chocolate for this pudding. You need that rich and slightly bitter flavour to stand out and it’s also less sweet than milk chocolate. I used a bar of 85% cocoa solids, but it’s fine to use one with a lower or higher percentage.
I sometimes throw in a few chocolate chips or buttons for added interest, but they’re not at all necessary.
How To Make Chocolate Bread And Butter Pudding
Chocolate bread and butter pudding is one of the easiest hot desserts to make. The hardest part is buttering the bread, especially if your butter isn’t soft. So top tip is to make sure you get the butter out of the fridge well before you need to use it.
Step 1. Heat Milk
Pour the milk into a medium sized pan and place it over a low to medium heat. Add the sugar and chocolate and continue to heat until the sugar has dissolved and the chocolate melted. Give it a stir from time to time and make sure it doesn’t come to the boil. Allow to cool a little.
If using a chocolate bar rather than chocolate buttons, chop it into bits before adding to the pan.
Step 2. Butter Bread
Whilst the milk is heating, butter the bread. Ensure your butter is at a spreadable consistency. Try to get an even layer over each slice, but don’t make it too thick.
Once you’ve buttered the bread, cut it into halves or quarters, depending on the size of your dish. I quite like triangles, but that’s personal preference.
Lightly butter your oven dish. Go for something deep rather than shallow. Lay the bread slices in the dish butter side up or at a slant. Overlap them but ensure the bottom of the dish is covered more or less evenly.
Scatter the chocolate chips or buttons over the bread, if using.
Step 3. Make Custard
Break the eggs into a mixing bowl. Add the vanilla extract and whisk until well combined and there is no egg white left showing.
Pour the warm chocolate milk into the bowl and whisk again until thoroughly combined.
Pour the custard over the bread and butter slices.
At this point, cover the dish with a plate, foil or plastic bag and leave it for half an hour. The bread needs a bit of time to soak up the custard.
Step 4. Bake Pudding
Place the dish on the middle shelf of a preheated oven and bake. It’s done when the tops of the bread are crisp and burnished, but not burnt.
Remove from the oven and leave to stand for five minutes before dishing up. Serve in bowls with a drizzle of single or double cream, if liked.
Chocolate Bread And Butter Pudding FAQs
Bread and butter pudding, including chocolate bread and butter pudding works really well when the bread has had plenty of time to soak up the custard. So yes, you can make bread and butter pudding the day before you need it, then bake it prior to serving.
Any type of oven proof dish will work for chocolate bread and butter pudding. Ideally you want a size that will fit your bread and butter pieces and is deep enough to take the custard whilst leaving a 2 cm gap at the top. Use whatever you have, round, square or oblong can all work.
I’ve used a small pyrex casserole dish in the past. In the images you can see here I used an oblong enamel pie dish 24 x18 x 5 cm.
Bread and butter pudding is at its best when it’s still warm from the oven. Having said that, it’s still really nice cold too. So it’s fine to eat leftovers the next day and there’s no need to heat the pudding up.
Sugar-Free Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding Recipe
Either swap the sugar in the chocolate bread and butter pudding for xylitol or use three level teaspoons of Truvia. Most chocolate is made with sugar, so there will be some in the dish. However, if you really want to avoid sugar altogether, use a chocolate bar made from 100% cocoa solids.
Other than swapping these ingredients, follow the recipe card at the bottom of this post exactly as is.
Other Chocolate Puddings You Might Like
- Chocolate chip apple crumble
- Mexican chocolate puddings
- Salted butterscotch chocolate fondants
- Self-saucing chocolate pudding
- Sticky toffee chocolate puddings
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this chocolate bread and butter pudding, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or advice for making these cakes?
I’d very much appreciate it if you could rate the recipe. If you post pictures of your creations on social media, please use the hashtag #tinandthyme so I can see them.
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If you’d like more hot pudding recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Chocolate Bread And Butter Pudding. PIN IT.
Chocolate Bread And Butter Pudding
Ingredients
- 250 ml whole milk
- 50 g golden caster sugar
- 75 g dark chocolate (I used 85% cocoa solids)
- 6 slices wholemeal bread medium cut and slightly stale is best
- 40 g salted butter softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 25 g chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Use a little of the butter to lightly grease a small casserole dish or medium pie dish.
- Heat the milk, sugar and chocolate in a medium pan over a gentle heat until the chocolate has melted and the sugar dissolved. Stir from time to time. Allow to cool a little.250 ml whole milk, 50 g golden caster sugar, 75 g dark chocolate
- Meanwhile spread each bread slice with butter. Then either half the slices or quarter them depending on the shape of your dish. Whether you cut them into triangles, rectangles or squares again depends on the shape of your dish as well as what you fancy.40 g salted butter, 6 slices wholemeal bread
- Lay the slices in the dish butter side up or at a slant if you prefer. I like to have parts of mine above the custard layer so that they get beautifully crisp when they bake.
- Scatter the chocolate chips, if using, over the bread slices.25 g chocolate chips
- Whisk the eggs and vanilla extract in a medium sized bowl until well mixed, then pour in the chocolate milk and whisk again.2 large eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pour the whole lot over the bread. Cover the dish with a plate and leave for thirty minutes so the custard has a chance to soak into the bread.
- Heat the oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4), then bake on the middle shelf for 25-30 minutes. The tops of the bread should be nice and crisp, but not burnt.
- Leave to cool for five minutes, then serve on its own or with pouring cream or ice cream.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
I’m submitting this chocolate bread and butter pudding to Calendar Cakes, a monthly blogging event hosted by Laura Loves Cakes and Dolly Bakes. The theme this month is for a healthy New Year, New You, so I hope this virtually sugar free pudding fits the bill.
As I was using up left over bread and chocolate (not sure that one counts really, as I never find it difficult to use chocolate) I’m entering this twist on a classic into Credit Crunch Munch which you can find out about with hosts Fab Food for All.
Post updated February 2023.
CLIP Food Public Relations and Marketing says
looks absolutely delicious. Great Article. Might have to have a go at making this, doubt it would be as good as yours! Keep up the good work.
The Caked Crusader says
Oh yum. And it answers that age old question -how to pack more calories (i.e. goodness!) into a bread and butter pud. Great work!
Janice Pattie says
I’m not sure I would want to spoil all that lovely chocolate with something that isn’t sugar. Looks good anyway.
Katie says
That looks so good with the dark chocolate melted on top. Why have i never thought to try this!?
Interesting to read you like the stevia, I tried it in a cookie once and it was horrible, but I supose it depends how you use it.
The bread pudding looks perfect for this snowy weather too
Angie's Recipes says
Irresistible! Bread, butter and chocolate…can’t go wrong!
Charlotte Charlotte'sKitchenDiary says
How delicious! It’s been a very long time since I made a bread and butter pudding. Need to rectify that by making your chocolate pudding
belleau kitchen says
sounds very good… almost good enough for the Belleau Kitchen diet which, let’s face it, is heading south pretty quickly…love that it’s nice and eggy too… divine x
Kath says
Ha, I have been dreaming about chocolate bread and butter pudding recently. I know, I have such exciting dreams! I also made something remarkably similar to your mincemeat bars not long ago. We must be in harmony. PS thank you for your help with the cookie (the non edible variety) issue. x
Joanna @ Zeb Bakes says
Sounds good, I have tried the half and half sugar/stevia mix, I can’t remember if it is a Tate and Lyle one. I find it has a taste of liquorice or anise or something. It also, from what I hear, has a laxative effect, but I don’t recall that. I thought it would be best used in bakes which have strong flavours or maybe even those which want that flavour, sort of can’t beat it, join it approach. 🙂 I have only used it once though, maybe I should try it again.
I have some panetonne to use up, so maybe I could make your pud and not add any sugar as there is of course sugar in the pt? Have a lovely weekend!
Jacqueline says
Oh my Choclette, what an offering. Mmmmm, pass the custard!