This Nutella bread and butter pudding recipe is a naughty-but-nice twist on a homely classic, made with deliciously airy brioche. The hazelnut chocolate spread gives it a deep gianduja flavour and a sumptuous melt in mouth sense of luxury.
Nutella bread and butter pudding recipe
While I do love the traditional bread and butter pudding that comes filled with plumped up dried fruit, a chocolate bread and butter pudding is a treat. A bread and butter pudding with sumptuous chocolate hazelnut spread is even better, and this one is made with Nutella and delicious brioche.
See also
- This easy to make Baileys bread and butter pudding makes a big impression when you’re entertaining.
- Hot cross bun bread and butter pudding is a deliciously spiced variation on the classic theme.
- Enjoy a touch of luxury with this indulgent croissant bread and butter pudding
- Easy panettone bread and butter pudding is a great way to use up festive leftovers.
- Read all my top tips for baking brioche.
I have gone all-out for luxury with this chocolate gianduja spread bread and butter pudding. I have made it with brioche for a really special treat. The light and fluffy brioche lends the pudding a wonderful light texture.
Go nuts for chocolate spread
Chocolate hazelnut spread has long been a children’s favourite across mainland Europe and recently it seems that most of the world has taken up the trend.
These spreads have their roots in the gianduja or gianduia ground hazelnut and cocoa pastes made to be simply cut and eaten as sweets or coated in set chocolate.
Originating in Piedmont, at the foot of the Italian Alps, this treat dates back to the Napoleonic Wars, when cocoa was hard to come by and had to be bulked out with nuts.
While you can buy gianduja in dark, bittersweet spread aimed at the adults, the child-friendly version that we all know today was invented in the 1960s in the Piedmontese town of Alba. Nutella quickly became a huge seller across the continent, creamy and light on cocoa with massive child-appeal.
Today, there are many versions, including those made by the major supermarkets, but Nutella is still the name we all recognize. I’ve used it to make this fabulous chocolate hazelnut bread and butter pudding, which is sure to impress children and grown ups alike.
Why make chocolate hazelnut bread and butter pudding
- Minimal hands-on time
- Luxurious but effortless
- Special enough for a celebration, easy enough to feed a crowd
- Everyday storecupboard ingredients
Nutella bread and butter pudding ingredients
- Brioche – About 5 generous slices or about 200g. I avoid the ready-sliced loaves, as I find the slices too thin for this recipe. A standard loaf in my local supermarket is 400g, so I can freeze half for another pudding.
- Nutella – or any chocolate hazelnut spread
- Butter – salted or unsalted, it doesn’t matter
- Cream – double/heavy cream
- Milk – whatever you normally use
- Eggs – The weight doesn’t matter that much but if you use small eggs you might need an extra one.
- Chocolate chips (optional) – I have used a mix of dark and milk chocolate, but you can use any that you have. Chop up a bar if you don’t have the chips.
- Icing sugar (optional, not shown) – a pretty dusting to serve
How to make Nutella bread and butter pudding – step by step
Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this perfectly every time.
Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.
Step One – Preheat the oven to 180°C / 170°C fan / Gas 4 / 350°F. Then cut your brioche slices into 2.5 cm / 1″ cubes.
Helen’s Fuss Free Tip
You can use slices, but with the texture of brioche, I find cubes easier to work with.
Brioche is very light and airy, so try not to crush it when you cut it. A good, sharp, serrated bread knife helps a lot.
Step Two – Melt the butter. Using a pastry brush, butter a deep baking dish of about 6″ x 8″ (15 x 20 cm). Then layer up the cubes of brioche inside the dish.
Step Three – Put the Nutella in a Pyrex jug and warm in 20–30 second bursts on half power in the microwave.
When it is runny but not hot, add the cream, milk and eggs. Whisk using a fork to combine the ingredients. It does need a really good mix, as the chocolate spread tends to stick to the bottom.
Step Four – Pour the custard mixture over the brioche, taking care to drizzle it evenly. Use a spatula to get the last drops out.
Lightly press the cubes into the liquid with a fork or spoon, so they absorb the custard mix. Do this gently so that they bounce back, rather than flattening them. Alternatively, leave the pudding to stand for 20–30 minutes, so the brioche absorbs the custard mix.
Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the brioche. Then drizzle any remaining melted butter over any of the brioche that is not covered in the custard mix.
Now put the dish in the oven and bake for 35 minutes. When your Nutella bread and butter pudding is ready, it will be fluffy and golden, with the custard set. If necessary, return to the oven for a few more minutes to get it just right.
Step Five – Allow your pudding to cool a little before you serve. Dust lightly with icing sugar for a final flourish.
Serving suggestion
Serve with a jug of cream, and garnish with fresh berries for an indulgent treat.
A warm bread and butter pudding is also delicious with homemade ice cream, so why not try this simpl homemade vanilla ice cream?
Variations
- Make your chocolate hazelnut bread and butter pudding in individual dishes for a more formal party.
- Chop some hazelnuts to sprinkle on top towards the end of cooking.
- Add a little orange zest to the custard mixture and serve with a little candied orange peel on top.
- You can buy nut-free chocolate spreads with a similar consistency if you are sensitive to nuts. Do check the advice on the packet, however.
Storage
For best results, enjoy freshly baked and still warm. I find the texture is never quite the same the next day, though it will still taste good.
Fridge – Put leftovers into airtight boxes and store in the fridge for 2 days. Reheat in the microwave.
Freezer – Pack into air tight boxes and freeze for up to two months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave.
Hints and tips
- If you want to make this Nutella brioche bread and butter pudding recipe ahead of time, you can make everything to stage 3. Then cover the baking dish and leave the custard mix in the fridge until you are ready to bake.
You can also leave the whole pudding for an hour in the fridge before baking, so the brioche soaks up the cream mixture.
- If you buy a standard 400 g brioche loaf, you can freeze half for another Nutella brioche pudding.
- You may be used to pouring more custard over a bread and butter pudding. With the richness of these ingredients, I want to avoid it becoming stodgy. I like a different texture with a bit of crunch on the top. If you like a lot more custard, however, you can increase those ingredients by 50%, using 3 eggs.
- Serve your chocolate hazelnut brioche pudding fresh from the oven for best effect.
FAQS
Brioche is a French bread that many think of as half-way to being cake. With eggs instead of water, and a lot of butter, it is very rich. A traditional recipe will use butter to half the weight of flour. This gives a light, fluffy and delicious loaf.
You can, but honestly, it is better fresh and it is so easy to make that there should be no need.
Although this pudding really is best if you cook it just before you serve, you can prepare to Step 3 and. You can then finish it off at the last minute. There’s more about this in the Hints and tips section.
I much prefer it hot with the chocolatey bits melting. You don’t get that chocolate melt if the pudding is cold.
More delicious desserts
- Three-ingredient malted milk chocolate pots – a delicious dessert with a touch of nostalgia
- Chocolate ice cream meringue gateau – fabulous and so much easier than it looks
- Blackcurrant and apple steamed pudding – deliciously warming and homely
Chocolate Hazelnut Brioche Bread and Butter Pudding
Ingredients
- 200 g brioche (half a typical loaf)
- 50 g butter
- 200 g (200 g) chocolate hazelnut spread
- 150 ml (0.6 cups) double cream
- 150 ml (0.6 cups) milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp (2 tbsp) chocolate chips (dark or milk or a mix)
- 1 dsp icing sugar (to dust, optional)
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 180°C / 170°C fan / Gas 4 / 350°F. Then cut your brioche slices into 2.5 cm / 1" cubes.200 g brioche
- Melt the butter. Using a pastry brush, butter a deep baking dish of about 6" x8" (15 x 20 cm). Then layer up the cubes of brioche inside the dish. Reserve any extra butter.50 g butter
- Put the Nutella in a pyrex jug and warm in 20–30 second bursts on half power in the microwave. When it is runny but not hot, add the cream, milk and eggs.200 g chocolate hazelnut spread, 150 ml double cream, 2 eggs, 150 ml milk
- Whisk using a fork to combine the ingredients. Mix thoroughly, ensuring that the chocolate spread does not stick to the bottom of the jug.
- Pour the custard mixture over the brioche, taking care to drizzle it evenly. Lightly press the cubes into the liquid with a fork or spoon, or leave the pudding to stand for 20–30 minutes, to absorbs the custard.
- Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the brioche. Then drizzle any remaining melted butter over any of the brioche that is not covered in the custard mix.2 tbsp chocolate chips
- Now put the dish in the oven and bake for 35 minutes. When your Nutella bread and butter pudding is ready, it will be puffed up, fluffy and golden, with the custard set. If necessary, return to the oven for a few more minutes to get it just right.
- Allow your pudding to cool a little before you serve. Dust lightly with icing sugar for a final flourish.1 dsp icing sugar
Notes
Storage
For best results, enjoy freshly baked and still warm. I find the texture is never quite the same the next day, though it will still taste good. Fridge – Put leftovers into airtight boxes and store in the fridge for 2 days. Reheat in the microwave. Freezer – Pack into air tight boxes and freeze for up to two months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave.Hints and tips
- If you want to prepare your Nutella brioche bread and butter pudding ahead of time, you can make everything to stage 3. Then cover the baking dish and leave the custard mix in the fridge until you are ready to bake.
You can also leave the whole pudding for an hour in the fridge before baking, so the brioche soaks up the cream mixture.
- If you buy a 400 g loaf, you can freeze half for another Nutella brioche pudding.
- You can use slices, but with the texture of brioche, I find cubes easier to work with.
- Brioche is very light and airy, so try not to crush it when you cut it. A good, sharp, serrated bread knife helps a lot.
- You may be used to pouring more custard over a bread and butter pudding, but with the richness of these ingredients, I want to avoid it becoming stodgy. I like a different texture with a bit of crunch on the top for contrast. If you like a lot more custard, however, you can increase those ingredients by 50%, using 3 eggs.
- Serve your chocolate hazelnut brioche pudding fresh from the oven for best effect.
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