If I were having Father’s Day dinner with my dad, he’d suggest Indian Pudding, Blueberry Pie, or Chocolate Bread Pudding for dessert. We’d pull out Fanny Farmer, a classic New England cookbook, or harvest his mother’s kitchen notes for a recipe.  Dad’s got most of his favorites memorized, but we’d look through a book anyway. And he’d opt for Hard Sauce as a topping, but settle for whipped cream.

But I’m in Maine and he’s in Palo Alto.  Still in honor of Father’s Day and because I have a delicious baguette from Sweet Christine: Gluten Free Chocolate Bread Pudding. Because most GF bread recipes include eggs, and because GF flours are less absorbent, pudding recipes require less milk.

CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING

Click Here To Print Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

pat of unsalted butter or teaspoon of vegetable oil

4 squares (4 oz.) unsweetened chocolate, melted in a double boiler

2 cups stale gluten free bread (yours, Sweet Christine’s, or Udi’s) torn into small pieces

1/2 cup (4 oz.) sugar

3 cups of hot whole milk (divided ) – substitute almond or soy milk for a lactose free version

2 large organic eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

pinch salt

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Prepare a 2 quart baking pan by liberally greasing it with unsalted butter (or vegetable oil if going lactose free). In half an hour preheat the oven to 350F.

2.  Soak the bread in 2 cups of the hot milk for 30 minutes.

3.  Whisk or beat with an egg beater the eggs, sugar, vanilla and almond extracts, and salt.

4.  Gently combine the melted chocolate with the well soaked bread, taking care not to break the tender GF bread pieces.

5.  Fold in the egg mixture.

6.  Add the additional cup of warm milk.

7.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350 F for an hour.

8.  Serve hot from the oven with hard sauce or warm with ice cream or whipped cream. Or COLD with a pouring of unsweetened organic heavy cream….

Happy Father’s Day Dad! XO

“Sweet Christine” Baguette

Weighing the chocolate

Beautiful chewy texture with a nice crust

Adding the milk to soak

Vanilla extract plus eggs

Gotta love the conventional egg beater!

Adding the chocolate to the soaked bread

Milk was too cool for the chocolate to melt evenly – remember to HEAT your milk!

Chocolate MELTS evenly when milk is properly heated

Egg mixture to the chocolate bread

Into the oven (cool milk)

Out of the oven (cool milk)

Into the oven (hot milk)

Our of the oven (hot milk

Father’s Day “CBP”, ready to eat!