New Orleans-style French bread, with its crispy exterior and tender crumb is what po’ boy dreams are made of. (And let’s be honest—who hasn’t dreamt of a perfect po’ boy?) That isn’t all, po’ boy loaves make for a really terrific bread pudding! With an overnight soak, some high-quality bittersweet chocolate, and a decadent Buttery Rum Sauce, you’ll have a rave-worthy dessert on the table with time to spare.
Chocolate Po' Boy Bread Pudding
Yields: 12 servings
Ingredients
- 1 (1-pound) loaf New Orleans-style French bread, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch ground nutmeg
- 2 (4-ounce) bars bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
- Buttery Rum Sauce (recipe follows)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- On 2 large rimmed baking sheets, place bread. Bake until dry, 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand until cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk together milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add bread, and toss to combine. Pour bread mixture into prepared baking dish. Using a spatula, gently press bread to cover with milk mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Remove bread pudding from refrigerator, and let stand for 30 minutes.
- Uncover and sprinkle with chocolate. Bake until puffed and golden brown and a knife inserted near center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Serve warm with Buttery Rum Sauce.
Buttery Rum Sauce
Yields: ¾ cup
Ingredients
- ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
- ⅓ cup dark rum
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a small skillet, bring brown sugar and rum to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Stir in butter until melted. Simmer until sauce becomes thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Stir in salt; remove from heat. Let cool slightly before using.
You can find more delicious recipes like this one in our newest edition of Louisiana Cookin’.
