Chocolate bread pudding is an easy and delish baked dessert made with only 5 ingredients: stale bread, milk, eggs, sugar and cocoa powder. You will fall in love with my Brazilian Chocolate Bread Pudding Flan Recipe, which comes from my NEW COOKBOOK, The Complete 5-Ingredient Cookbook. With just the right amount of sweetness and rich chocolate flavor, this smooth and creamy dessert will be your new favorite! (with VIDEO)
Chocolate Bread Pudding, the Brazilian Way
Bread pudding as we know it can be traced back to the 12th century. It was likely a dish born out of need, as it was a great way to use up stale bread and make it more palatable. In 13th century England, bread pudding was known as the “poor man’s pudding” because it was usually eaten by the lower classes. As with many of our favorite comfort foods, this dish that was once looked down upon as simple food for “peasants,” is now a beloved tradition.
Many countries have their own version of bread pudding: for example, in Venezuela, there is pudín de pan, Spain has pan de Calatrava, Puerto Rico’s bread pudding is called budin, Mexico has a type of bread pudding called Capirotada, and in Portugal and Brazil it is pudim de pão. In the U.S. bread pudding is a popular dessert in the Southern states.
Brazilian bread pudding is much smoother in texture than most others, which are more chunky. We bake the dessert in a Bundt pan with a caramel glaze. When you turn the baked bread pudding out of the pan onto a serving plate, the delicious caramel coats the pudding, much like a flan. It is heavenly!
In short, this is not your old-fashioned bread pudding!
What is a Bread Pudding Flan?
Very simply put, bread pudding flan is a fusion of bread pudding and flan. It is baked in the oven using a bain-marie and has the delicious caramelized glaze.
You’ll find my chocolate bread pudding recipe to be smooth and creamy with a texture similar to a flan, although denser and firmer. It also has a bittersweet chocolate flavor!
As you can see, it is different from its American cousin, which has a chunky texture and doesn’t have that caramel glaze cascading down the sides.
The NEW Cookbook
This recipe for chocolate bread pudding comes from my new cookbook, The Complete 5-Ingredient Cookbook. The cookbook contains so many wonderful recipes that you can take advantage of daily. Here’s what is included:
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The Ingredients and Possible Substitutes
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make the Brazilian Chocolate Bread Pudding Flan Recipe:
- 5 cups of stale baguette pieces – you’ll need to use a baguette that is stale so that it will be dry enough to soak up the milk. Also, too much moisture in the bread will impact the overall texture of the bread pudding. Cut the bread into 1/2-inch chunks (preferably) and make sure to measure packed tightly (not loosely). For a gluten-free version, use a GF bread!
- 3 cups milk, warmed – whole milk is best for this recipe as it has a higher fat content, which adds flavor and creaminess. To make this recipe dairy-free, use canned coconut milk instead.
- 3 cups sugar – part of the sugar will be incorporated into the bread pudding, while the other part will be used to create the caramel.
- ½ cup water – to make the caramel
- 4 large eggs – be sure to bring the eggs to room temperature by setting them out on your counter for at least 30 minutes before using them. Or soak them in warm water for 5-8 minutes if you are in a hurry.
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder – this ingredient adds rich chocolate flavor to the bread pudding flan. It contrasts with sugar, resulting in a bittersweet chocolate flavor.
How to Make the Chocolate Bread Pudding Flan with 5 Ingredients
Watch the video for complete instructions!
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. In a large bowl, soak the bread in the warm milk until softened. This takes about 20 minutes.
- While the bread is soaking, combine 1 cup of the sugar with the ½ cup of water in a medium non-stick saucepan. Heat this over medium-high heat and let the sugar dissolve without stirring. If you see sugar crystals begin to form on the sides of the pan, brush the sides down with a pastry brush dipped in a little water.
- Every so often, gently swirl the pan around to lightly mix. You’ll see the color begin to change after 8-10 minutes. Once it has reached an amber color, remove the pan from the heat and pour the caramel into the bottom of a 10-inch Bundt pan. Using oven mitts, swirl the pan to fully coat the bottom with caramel. Set this aside to cool while you move on to the next steps.
- Pour the soaked bread and the remaining 2 cups of sugar, eggs, and cocoa powder into a blender and blend until well combined. This takes about 1 minute. Pour the bread pudding mixture into the Bundt pan over the cooled caramel.
- Bake the chocolate bread pudding flan on the middle rack in the oven at 350° F for 35-40 minutes. To check if the bread pudding is finished fully baking, insert a toothpick or cake tester into the center. If it comes out clean, it is ready.
- Let it cool on a cooling rack for 15 minutes, or until it is just warm. Run a thin knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the bread pudding. Place a plate over the top of the pan, then gently turn it over to invert the bread pudding onto the plate. Lift the pan away from the bread pudding.
How to Serve Brazilian Chocolate Bread Pudding Flan
You can choose to serve the chocolate bread pudding warm or cover it and chill it in the refrigerator to serve cold.
Here are some optional garnishes for serving your bread pudding flan:
- Sliced fresh strawberries
- Whipped sweet cream
- Fresh mint leaf
- Fresh berries
- Shaved chocolate
Make-Ahead Instructions and How to Store
To make this dessert ahead of time, follow all of the steps to make the bread pudding flan as usual. Once it is fully baked and has cooled for 15 minutes, unmold it and cover to keep in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. It will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days.
On the other hand, don’t freeze it because freezing will alter the creamy texture.
More 5 Ingredient Desserts
- Lemon Pudding Cake
- 130 Easy 5-Ingredient or Less Recipes
- No Bake Nutella Tart
- Coffee Fudge Cups
- Brigadeiro Recipe
- Deep-Fried Bananas
PIN & ENJOY!
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Brazilian Chocolate Bread Pudding Flan Recipe
Equipment
- oven
- bundt pan
- blender
- saucepan
- large baking pan
Ingredients
- 5 cups stale baguette chopped (SEE NOTE)
- 3 cups whole milk warmed
- 3 cups sugar divided
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
- “Place oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, soak the bread in the warm milk until softened, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium nonstick saucepan, combine 1 cup of sugar with the water over medium-high heat. Without stirring, let the sugar dissolve. If sugar crystals form on the sides of the pan, brush the sides with a pastry brush dipped in a little water. Every so often, gently swirl the pan around to lightly mix. The color will start to change in 8 to 10 minutes. Once it reaches an amber color, remove the pan from the heat and pour the caramel into a 10-inch ring baking pan or Bundt pan. Using oven mitts, swirl the pan to fully coat the bottom with caramel. Set aside to cool and harden.
- Put the soaked bread, remaining 2 cups of sugar, the eggs, and cocoa powder into a blender and blend until well combined, about 1 minute. Pour the bread pudding batter into the pan lined with caramel.
- Bake on the middle rack, uncovered, for 35 to 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the bread pudding cool on a rack for about 15 minutes, or until warm. Then, gently run a thin knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the bread pudding. Carefully invert it onto a large serving plate. Serve warm or cover and refrigerate until chilled to up to 3 days. “
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Baking time may take from 35-50 minutes!
- Cut the stale bread into 1/2-inch chunks, preferably, and make sure to measure the bread packed tightly (not loosely).
- You may use any other type of white bread. For a gluten-free version, use a GF bread. For a dairy-free version, use canned coconut milk instead of whole milk.
- A pan with straight lines (as you see in the video) works better than one with a design/pattern to prevent issues when unmolding the flan.
- Make sure to place boiling water in the bottom of a larger pan for the bain-marie. Make certain that the water comes halfway up the bread pudding flan pan.
- The baking time may vary depending on your oven and also whether you live at high altitudes. The pudding flan is ready once set and slightly jiggly-- plus when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- If you pan is smaller than 10-inch, the batter will sit taller in the pan and may take longer to cook. Moreover, if you make a double batch to produce a taller dessert, keep in mind that it may take ALMOST twice time as much to bake the dessert.
- Make sure to let the dessert cool down a bit (about 15 minutes) on a rack before running a knife around it and unmolding it onto a serving plate.
- Sliced fresh strawberries
- Whipped sweet cream
- Fresh mint leaf
- Fresh berries
- Shaved chocolate
Nutrition
Raymund
Great recipe, now I have an alternative way to use to stale baguettes and not just as a bread crumb, with just 5 ingredients, this surely is a keeper
John / Kitchen Riffs
Chocolate? That alone would be enough to tempt me. But such an easy recipe! Really good stuff — thanks.
2pots2cook
Heavenly good looking ! So pinned and shared dear ! Enjoy your day 🙂
Josiah - DIY Thrill
This chocolate bread pudding looks so yummy!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
Your Chocolate Bread Pudding looks fabulous with those fresh strawberries on top!