Rose Scented Nutella Brioche Pudding

I’ve always hated wasting food, but since starting Blog Away Hunger I’ve been even more conscientious about using scraps that would normally see the inside of the bin. After making a summer berry pudding, I had a whole loaf worth of brioche crusts left over and pondered how I could put the buttery caramelized crusts to use. A quick scan of the pantry and fridge revealed a nearly empty jar of Nutella, an over-ripe banana, milk, cream and eggs. All the makings for a chocolate brioche pudding!

In restaurants, bread pudding isn’t very high up on my list of things I’d order. They’re often dried out and rubbery, closer in texture and taste to a buffet-line scrambled egg than the luscious dessert the name promises. This self-sweetened, self-saucing brioche pudding cobbled together from pantry staples and scraps turns the traditional notion of a bread pudding on its head. Swaths of buttery brioche crust are enrobed in a fragrant chocolaty custard, holding bits of tender sweet fruit in its folds. I used banana because it was well past its prime, but this would be just as good with raspberries, blueberries, or whatever fruit you happen to have on hand.

To combat dryness, I started with a higher liquid to bread ratio than most bread pudding recipes. When you first add the brioche to the liquid, it will float around on top like cereal in a bowl of milk, but most of it will soak into the brioche while it rests. To prevent the rubbery texture and eggy flavour, I’ve used a higher ratio of milk to eggs, making a looser custard that relies on the brioche for structure.