Delia's Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding

Life isn't complete without chocolate - I'm convinced it's one of our "five a day", after all, it's from a bean.     When I first tried chocolate bread and butter pudding, courtesy of Delia Smith's recipe, I thought I'd arrived in heaven.   I've slightly adapted it, and reduced the quantities to serve four.

This is especially for Laura, who likes easy puddings - and it doesn't get easier than this.    You do have to leave it for a day or so while the chocolate mixture gently oozes its way into the bread - failure to do so result in little white stripes.   Delayed gratification is part of the pleasure!   Equally good made with gluten-free bread (though not rye bread).

Chocolate bread and butter pudding

Chocolate bread and butter pudding

8 thick slices of white bread (or 50/50 white/brown), crusts removed

4oz/110g dark chocolate

10 fl oz/300ml double or whipping cream

3 tablespoons rum or Bailey’s

3oz/75g soft brown sugar

2oz/50g butter

1/3 teaspoon cinnamon

2 large eggs

Butter a dish approx 10” x 6” (or wait until you see how much mixture you make).    Cut the bread into halves or triangles.      In a large bowl, put the chocolate, cream, rum, sugar, butter and cinnamon and stick it into the microwave.  Heat until the chocolate is melted and the sugar has dissolved.   Stir thoroughly.  If you’re using the microwave, don’t over heat the mixture – the chocolate melts more slowly, and will mostly dissolve when you are stirring it prior to adding the eggs.    Whisk the eggs in another bowl, add the chocolate mixture and whisk again until it is smooth (ish).

Pour a layer of chocolate mixture into the dish, and then put the bread over the top, overlapping the pieces slightly – I aim for two layers.   After the first layer, pour on half of the remaining liquid, then put the last bread pieces on top.   Pour on the last of the mix and cover all the bread, gently squidging it into the gooey chocolate….  cover with cling film and leave it to rest for a day (if you can!).     Preheat oven to 180deg C.  Remove the clingfilm and bake for about half an hour until crisp on top yet still soft inside.      This reheats well in the microwave.