I’m not going to lie. This hot chocolate pandesal bread pudding recipe is definitely involved and a bake I prefer breaking down into 2 days. However, don’t be too intimidated by the length of the recipe! Each step is relatively easy, but it is so worth the extra effort. If you do want to skip some steps, I also don’t judge you for buying pandesal from a local Filipino bakery or using store-bought marshmallows to top it off with. You gotta do what you gotta do sometimes!
If you want to go all the way with this, I suggest starting off with making the pandesal. This recipe was adapted from The Little Epicurean, and it’s perfect for sharing. Once you cut up the cubes you need for the pudding, you get plenty of bread rolls leftover to have for breakfast or a snack.
After you square away the pandesal baking part, you can make the marshmallows so they’re ready for the next day. Making marshmallows at home is surprisingly easy with a stand mixer! You’ll wow your friends and family with them, and you also get tons of extra marshmallows for even more mugs of hot chocolate hehe.
When you actually make the custard on day 2, make sure not to skip the step of toasting the pandesal cubes! This step is very important because the dry pandesal pieces will absorb the custard without disintegrating and falling apart from so much moisture. Besides that, you’re good to go! The bread pudding straight from the oven is deliciously warm and comforting. We’re going to need as much warmth as possible for this cold winter!
Hot Chocolate Pandesal Bread Pudding
Ingredients
For the Pandesal:
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk, warmed to 100-105 degrees Fahrenheit
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups bread flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs, lightly whisked
- 1/6 cup breadcrumbs, or as needed
For the Bread Pudding:
- 6 large eggs
- 6 tablespoons white sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped I like the Trader Joe's 72% Dark Chocolate Block!
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 12 ounces pandesal, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- cooking spray, as needed
For the Chocolate Ganache:
- 4 ½ ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate, at least 60% cacao
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
For the Marshmallows:
- 3 (.75 oz) envelopes unflavored Knox gelatin
- 1/2 cup water, ice cold
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- vegetable oil, as needed
For the Marshmallow Dust:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
For the Pandesal:
- Dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add 2 teaspoons of sugar. Stir to combine. Let stand for 5-10 minutes until yeast has activated and mixture is foamy.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, bread flour, and salt. Set aside.
- Pour yeast mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook attachment. Add remaining sugar, butter, and lightly whisked eggs.
- With the mixer running on low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions. Once all the flour has been added, increase speed to medium. Continue to knead until dough comes together to form a smooth ball.
- Remove dough from the mixing bowl and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise at room temperature for 1 hour, until dough has doubled in volume.
- Punch dough down and divide into 24 equal parts. Roll dough into balls and dip the top of the bread roll into breadcrumbs. Place rolls breadcrumb side up on a parchment lined 18×13-inch baking sheet. Cover dough with plastic wrap or a towel to prevent it from drying out. Allow bread rolls to rise for 20-30 minutes, until bread rolls have puffed up.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove plastic wrap and bake for 20-25 minutes until fragrant and golden brown.
For the Bread Pudding:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with Pam, line with parchment paper & spray with Pam again. Set aside.
- Cut pandesal into 1-inch pieces and place them on a sheet pan lined with a silicone mat.
- Bake, tossing halfway through until pieces are very dry and slightly toasted, 15-25 minutes. Let cool, then transfer to the prepared 9×13-inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs, granulated sugar, and salt until lightened, about 30 seconds; set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk brown sugar with cocoa to combine. Whisk in milk and cream and heat over medium heat until warm. Mix in bittersweet chocolate and instant coffee until chocolate is melted. Pour some of the mixture into the large bowl with eggs to temper the custard in a thin stream.
- Whisk the rest of the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until combined. Whisk in vanilla extract.
- Add the chocolate custard mixture to the 9×13 pan and gently toss the bread cubes to evenly moisten the bread. Let the mixture sit to allow bread to thoroughly saturate, 30 to 45 minutes, occasionally pressing bread gently with rubber spatula. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Tuck chopped semisweet chocolate into bread pudding, evenly distributing. Bake until pudding is just set in center, 45 to 55 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool about 30 minutes before serving.
- Top with a drizzle of chocolate ganache and tiny marshmallows. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
For the Ganache:
- Place the chopped chocolate into a medium bowl.
- Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a simmer without stirring.
- When the heavy cream has come to a boil, pour over the chopped chocolate. Let sit for a couple minutes and whisk until it becomes smooth and shiny.
For the Marshmallows:
- Cover a 12×18 baking pan with plastic wrap. Brush the plastic wrap with vegetable oil.
- Pour the vanilla and the ice cold water into your mixing bowl. Sprinkle the envelopes of Knox unflavored gelatin onto the water in the bowl. Gently whisk with a fork until there are no longer any large clumps of gelatin. Allow the gelatin to continue to bloom while you make the simple syrup.
- In a medium saucepan, add sugar, light corn syrup and water. Bring to a boil while stirring. Stop stirring once the sugar is dissolved. Bring the sugar mixture to a hard boil. Boil until the syrup reaches 240°F.
- Turn the whisk on low and slowly pour the sugar syrup into the mixing bowl with the gelatin. Add a pinch of salt.
- Turn the whisk on high and allow the marshmallow mixture to whip and thicken for 10-12 minutes.
- Pour the marshmallow mixture into the prepared pan. Lightly oil a piece of plastic wrap and then cover the top of the marshmallows.
- Allow the marshmallows to completely cool and firm up at room temperature overnight.
- To create the marshmallow dust, mix the powdered sugar and cornstarch in a bowl. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Spread out a piece of parchment paper and cover it with a small amount of the marshmallow dust. Turn out the marshmallow block from the pan.
- Lightly oil a cookie cutter and use it to cut the marshmallows into individual marshmallows.
- Toss the marshmallows into a bowl with the marshmallow dust and cover on all sides.
- Store marshmallows in an air-tight container for up to 3 weeks.
What do you think about panko for the breadcrumbs?
Panko could work too! They’re a little chunkier than the average breadcrumb so it might take a lil dip in water before dipping in panko so that they stick to the rolls. 🙂