This chocolate orange bread and butter pudding is one of my favourite recipes, rich and full of flavour but oh-so-simple.
Chocolate orange bread and butter pudding
In this luxury version of a traditional bread and butter pudding, I have replaced the raisins with chocolate chips and added orange zest for a fresh, vibrant flavour.
See also
- for a lightly spiced version, try this eggnog bread and butter pudding
- hot cross bun bread and butter pudding, perfect for an Easter feast
- for an extra rich treat, try nutella bread and butter pudding
Chocolate and orange is a classic flavour combination that is good in almost any dessert. This bread and butter pudding is a little more indulgent than the classic vine fruit version, but it is still economical and easy to make.
I love the combination of classic comfort food with something a little fancier for entertaining and serve my chocolate orange bread and butter pudding to friends when I want to give everyone a little treat.
Why make chocolate orange bread and butter pudding
- easy but impressive
- smart but economical
- impresses everyone!
Chocolate orange bread and butter pudding – ingredients
- Brioche – Choose an unsliced, all-butter loaf if you can find it, as this allows you to cut thicker slices.
- Butter – to grease the dish and drizzle over the pudding
- Oranges – unwaxed, for zesting
- Chocolate chips – dark, milk or a mixture of the two
- Cream – double (heavy) cream
- Milk – The recipe is flexible and you can use what you have (whole, skimmed or semi skimmed)
- Eggs
- Vanilla – real vanilla extract or paste rather than artificial ‘essence’
- Sugar – I like golden caster sugar but ordinary granulated is fine.
How to make chocolate orange 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 – Start by melting the butter and buttering the dish in which you will cook your chocolate orange bread and butter pudding. Set aside the remaining butter for later.
Step Two – Now cut your brioche into slices and then cubes using a good serrated knife.
Allow the loaf to bounce back a little in between slices for best results.
Step Three – Arrange the brioche pieces in the dish. Then scatter two thirds of the chocolate chips over the top.
Step Four – Put the cream, milk, eggs, and vanilla in a jug. Whisk together with a fork, so that the yolks are broken and the custard well combined. Then use a very fine grater to zest the oranges straight into the custard mix.
Step Five – Pour the custard over the brioche. Press the brioche into the custard very lightly with the back of a fork. Then scatter the remaining chocolate over the top. Drizzle the last of the butter over the top.
Ideally, leave for about 30 minutes to soak in.
When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 180° C / 170° C fan / Gas 4 / 350° F. Bake the pudding for about 30 minutes until cooked through and puffed up.
Step Six – When the pudding is puffy and golden and the custard cooked through, it is ready to serve.
Serving suggestion
You can serve your chocolate orange bread and butter pudding hot or cold, but I like it hot or warm.
It doesn’t strictly need anything, but you can dust it with a little icing sugar and serve it with a drizzle of cream.
Variations
- Use panettone or croissants instead of brioche, if you prefer.
- You can also add a dash of orange liqueur to the custard.
- If you have leftovers from a chocolate orange, chop this and use it instead of chocolate chips.
Storage
You can store the uncooked pudding in the fridge for several hours before serving.
Fridge – Leftovers will last for a couple of days in the fridge. You can warm the pudding through in the oven or the microwave.
Freezer – Pack into an airtight container and freeze for up to two months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave.
Hints and tips
- Choose a good quality all-butter brioche for best results.
- Take care when cutting the brioche, so that you do not squash all the air out of it. A good serrated knife will help with this. You want to keep those airholes so that the custard can seep into them!
FAQs
Brioche is an enriched bread from France, made with eggs instead of water, and a lot of butter. A traditional recipe will contain butter in a 1:2 ratio to the flour. So essentially, the butter is already in the bread when you use brioche.
I prefer my bread and butter pudding freshly cooked. You can make the custard in advance and keep it in the fridge for several hours until you are ready to assemble the pudding, or you can assemble the pudding and leave it in the fridge, again for several hours.
Cook while you eat your main course and it will be perfect.
In the UK, bread pudding is a traditional dense, dark dessert made with a lot of vine fruit and lard, which can be sliced like a cake. Bread and butter pudding is lighter, made with buttered bread (or something similar), layered with a scattering of sultanas (or chocolate in variations like this).
Just to confuse the issue, though, this type of bread and butter pudding is sometimes called bread pudding in the US.
More pudding recipes
- Panettone bread and butter pudding – light and fruity, made with the Italian festive bread
- Baked rice pudding – a nursery classic, and the most comforting of puddings
- Sticky toffee pudding – a favourite sweet treat
Chocolate Orange Bread and Butter Pudding
Ingredients
- 200 g brioche (all butter for preference)
- 50 g butter
- 120 ml double (heavy) cream
- 120 ml milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp (60 g) chocolate chips
- 2 juicing oranges (zest only)
Instructions
- First, melt the butter and use it to grease the pudding dish. Set the remainder aside to drizzle the pudding later.50 g butter
- Slice the brioche into thick slices, allowing the loaf to bounce back between each slice. Cut the slices into cubes.200 g brioche
- Layer the brioche in the dish, scattering over about two thirds of the chocolate chips.4 tbsp chocolate chips
- Mix together the eggs, milk, cream and vanilla, beating well to break up the eggs and combine to make a custard. Grate the orange zest into the custard with a fine zester.120 ml double (heavy) cream, 120 ml milk, 2 eggs, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 juicing oranges
- Pour the custard over the brioche. Press the brioche into the custard very lightly with the back of a fork to encourage it to soak up the liquid without knocking all the air out. Allow time for the custard to soak in (about 30 minutes is perfect).
- Preheat the oven to 180° C / 170° C fan / Gas 4 / 350° F.Scatter the remaining chocolate over the top and drizzle the last of the butter over the brioche.
- Bake the pudding for about 30 minutes until puffed up and golden, and cooked through. Serve hot.
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