Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding with Rum Cinnamon Sauce

Thank you Doris!!!  This is the best bread pudding I've ever had.  I've never been one to crave bread.  I'd just as soon eat the filling as the sandwich.  I rarely think about rolls or bread with dinner.  Croutons don't show up on salads in our house more than about once a year.  Bread is just there for me.  So, why in the world would a bread pudding be my first choice for a dessert for a Mardi Gras party?  Because this is one incredible dessert.  And, of course, because bread pudding is a New Orleans staple!  Doris originally found this recipe on Epicurious a couple of years ago.

Bread Pudding with Rum Cinnamon Sauce

1- 1 pound loaf brioche cut into 1" cubes
10 T unsalted butter, melted
1 c semi sweet chocolate chips
2 1/2 c half and half
1 c sugar
6 large eggs
4 egg yolks
2 T vanilla
1/8 t salt
2 T packed dark brown sugar


Butter a 9x13 baking dish. 

In a large bowl, toss the bread with 8 tablespoons of the melted butter.  Add the chocolate chips and mix well. 

Pour the bread/chocolate chip mixture into the baking dish.  In the bowl, mix the sugar, eggs, egg yolks, vanilla and salt. 

Pour the custard over the bread mixture.  Push the bread down to make sure it's all soaked in the custard. 

Let the pudding stand for thirty minutes.  Push the bread down every 10 minutes.  Heat the oven to 350.  Drizzle the remaining butter over the pudding then sprinkle with the brown sugar. 

Bake until puffed and golden, about one hour.  Remove from the oven.  The pudding will fall in a few minutes. 

Serve with:

Rum Cinnamon Sauce

1 c unsalted butter
1 c dark brown sugar
1 t ground cinnamon
1/4 dark rum
1 T vanilla

Melt the butter, stir in the brown sugar and stir until the sugar is melted.  Add the cinnamon, rum and vanilla.  Serve warm over the bread pudding.