PB Dulce de Leche & Chocolate Bread Pudding

FINALLY! Yes, I know, it's taken me forever to get to this recipe. But I'm finally using what Blake Makes. If you haven't already heard, read a little about it here.

First I have to tell you a little secret...I'd never had bread pudding. At least I don't think I ever had. I've been living my life thinking I don't like it. You see, I hate stuffing. Ew, it's one of my most repulsive foods. Soggy, wet bread? No thanks. So when it came to bread pudding, I decided early on that it was akin to stuffing, and therefore repulsive.

But lately I've been seeing all kinds of bread pudding recipes. And they all looked SO amazing. I've been dying to experiment, but I've still been very reluctant. Then came Blake's peanut butter dulce de leche (PBDDL), and I was determined to try the heavenly dulce de leche & chocolate bread pudding recipe in Bon Apetit.

Yet something was holding me back. I mean, what if this is the only container of PBDDL that I ever receive? How would I live with the disappointment if I hated the bread pudding?

Finally, I bit the bullet. Every step of the recipe seemed great. But I was anxious for the final product...

Turns out, I had nothing to worry about. Just like every other person in the world, I now love bread pudding. I made a few changes to the recipe, of course using peanut butter dulce de leche instead of regular, and adding a banana to the custard. Also, I used the bread I had around, which turned out to be a slice of whole grain bread & a slice of "cinnamon chip" bread. I liked the addition of the cinnamon, so if you use regular white bread, you might want to add a little cinnamon to the recipe.

And I'll admit, I only have 1/2 a bowl of the bread pudding left. :)

Peanut Butter Dulce de Leche & Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding
adapted from Bon Apetit, March 2008

2 slices cinnamon swirl bread, crusts cut off & cut into 1/2 in cubes
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup PBDDL
1 medium banana, mashed & very ripe
1 large egg
1/2 large egg yolk
1/2 tbsp kahlua
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
2 oz dark chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place bread in 4 cup glass baking dish. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon melted butter; toss. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Bake until bread begins to color, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Cool. Return bread to glass baking dish.

Stir whipping cream and 1/4 cup peanut butter dulce de leche in small saucepan over medium heat until blended and bubbling. Remove from heat. Whisk eggs and yolks in large bowl. Add mashed banana, kahlua, vanilla, and salt; gradually whisk in warm dulce de leche mixture. Stir in bread cubes. Let soak 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Mix chocolate chunks into custard mixture. Return mixture to glass baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoons sugar. Bake pudding until puffed and set in center, about 35 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm, passing more dulce de leche topping alongside.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the actual PBDDL. It was yummy...much more peanut buttery than I expected it to be. Check out Blake Makes & keep an eye out for PBDDL so you can make your very own bread pudding! :)