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Pan au Chocolat Bread Pudding
Pan au chocolat croissants folded into a classic creamy and buttery custard baked with a cane sugar bruleed crust
This one was a fun. I have a mild obsession with pan au chocolat. If I see them I HAVE to try them. I think I’m hoping to find ones similar to the ones I made in culinary school or the ones I had in the bakeries in Germany. They are my favorite anytime dessert. Pan au chocolat are just croissant that has two batons of chocolate running through the middle. When you have them from the bakery the pastry is buttery, flaky and puffy and the batons that run through the middle have a lot of weight to them! When you heat them up the butter and the chocolate are just magic. Seriously if you haven’t had a fresh one from a bakery find one immediately. On the flip side there are a lot of imposters that use the name pan au chocolat and look semi correct ( you’ll never find it in the right pastry commercially sold, its always bready and not croissant like) then they have big heaps of chocolate hanging out at the end. Don’t be fooled its all marketing and there is practically nothing in the middle. If you’re like me someone who tries your favorite thing over and over hoping to find a brand to stick with, only to be disappointed time after time. Something has to give. Unfortunately this time I got pan au chocolate from Costco I figured Costco would come closer than a normal store. Right? Well I was fooled again but it being Costco it was a pack of 50 I refused to eat them as they were and I refused to throw them away. So this recipe came out of necessity to get them used up! Check out my tips and tricks below to use up some of that pan au chocolat. Try this recipe out and let me know what you think. Side note this recipe was amazing and i would consider buying all those pan au chocolat again just to make this recipe. This will also continue to be my pan au chocolat use up recipe for future endeavors.
TIPS & TRICKS FOR THE BEST PAN AU CHOCOLAT BREAD PUDDING:
let the custard sit: let the custard absorb into the pudding even if the bread isn’t hard. Letting the custard sit also lets the custard absorb into whatever bread you use. that way when you bake it you don’t make scrambled eggs and you custard stays light and fluffy. so make sure the custard is whisked well and sits a while.
raw sugar: my favorite thing about any baked good is the top. to enhance any top i put raw cane sugar on top so that it spreads and and makes a nice hard candied top. it gives every recipe that cracked sugar topping like a creme brulee
whip your eggs: bread pudding has no leavener like baking soda or baking powder. to get some nice but temporary height on your bread pudding whisk a lot of air into your eggs!
don’t open the oven: when you bake try not to open your oven. that way you wont drop the temperature and cause your baked goods to drop. instead turn on the oven light to check. check on things closer to the end time if you must open the oven and make sure you dont leave it open. leaving the oven closed and alone is key to getting those souffle tops.
SIMILAR INGREDIENTS TO:
ENJOY THIS RECIPE WITH:
INGREDIENTS:
- 15 pan au chocolat, cubed
- 1.5c Half and Half
- 1Tb Vanilla Extract
- 1/2c White Sugar
- 1/24tsp Salt
- 4Tb Butter, melted
- Cane Sugar
- 3 Eggs
DIRECTIONS:
- START CUSTARD: To start custard whisk together eggs, sugar and butter. Whisk for 3 minutes till nice and fluffy.
- ADD DAIRY: Add in half and half, vanilla, and salt.
- TOSS: Combine cubed pan au chocolat with the custard and let it sit for 30 minutes till the custard is absorbed
- FILL: Using individual ramakins, spray with non stick spray then add in enough bread pudding to touch the top of the rim then sprinkle generously with raw sugar.
- BAKE: Bake at 375F for 20-25 minutes. Till bread pudding has a fluffed top, its golden brown and the top is nice and hard.
2 responses to “Pan au Chocolat Bread Pudding”
Sweet and Tasty!
These look gorgeous! My son used to love getting pan au chocolat from a local bakery after school – I think this will be a very nice treat for him. Thank you for sharing!