Okay, so the other day, I had a bunch of bananas that were seriously looking at me, you know? Like, “eat me now or I’m gonna turn into mush.” And I also had some bread that was a couple of days old, not stale enough to be a weapon, but definitely not fresh-sandwich material anymore. My brain went “ding!” – chocolate and banana bread pudding time!
Getting Started – The Prep Work
First things first, I grabbed that bread. I think I had about half a loaf of some white bread, maybe a bit more. I didn’t really measure, just tore it up into rough chunks. I like ’em kinda chunky, not too small. Threw all those pieces into a big mixing bowl. Easy peasy.
Then, the bananas. I had three of ’em. I mashed up two with a fork until they were pretty smooth, but still a little lumpy – that’s the good stuff. The third banana, I sliced it up. I figured some mashed for flavor throughout and some slices for those nice banana-y bites.
Next up, the custard part. This is where the magic happens, right? I cracked, let’s see, probably four eggs into another bowl. Added a good splash of milk – whole milk, ’cause why not? Maybe like two cups? Again, I was just eyeballing it. Then a decent amount of sugar. I like it sweet, but not tooth-achingly sweet. A big teaspoon of vanilla extract went in too. Oh, and a pinch of cinnamon! Almost forgot. Whisked all that together until it was nicely combined.
Bringing it All Together
Now for the fun part. I poured that eggy, milky, sugary mixture all over the bread chunks in the big bowl. Then I added the mashed bananas and the chocolate. Ah, the chocolate! I had a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips, so I just dumped a generous handful in there. Or maybe two. Let’s be honest, probably two. Gave everything a good, gentle stir to make sure all the bread was getting soaked and the banana and chocolate were mixed in. I let it sit for about 15-20 minutes. This is important, folks! It lets the bread really soak up all that liquid gold.
While it was soaking, I preheated my oven. I set it to around 350°F, or 175°C for those of you across the pond. And I greased a baking dish. I used butter, just smeared it all around a glass casserole dish. Nothing fancy, just enough so it wouldn’t stick like crazy.
Baking and the Delicious Result
Once the bread mixture looked nice and saturated, I carefully poured and scraped it all into the greased baking dish. I arranged the banana slices I’d saved on top, just to make it look a bit pretty. Then, into the hot oven it went.
I set a timer for about 45 minutes. I started checking it around the 40-minute mark. You want it to be set in the middle, not jiggly like jelly, and nicely golden brown on top. The edges should be a little bit crispy. Mine took about 50 minutes in total, I think. The whole kitchen started smelling absolutely incredible, like a warm hug.
When it looked done, I pulled it out of the oven. Seriously, the hardest part is letting it cool down a bit. You want to dive right in, but it’s super hot. I managed to wait about 10-15 minutes, which felt like an eternity.
And then? Spooned a big ol’ serving into a bowl. It was soft, gooey, chocolatey, with those lovely pockets of banana. The top was a little bit crusty, and the inside was just pure comfort. Didn’t even need any sauce or ice cream, though I bet that would be amazing too. It was just perfect as it was. Definitely making this again when those bananas start giving me the eye!
