CHOCOLATE-BANANA BREAD PUDDING

Feeds 8

Although the South has a special affection for bread pudding, this is a dish loved across the United States. It’s a great way to make stale bread into something extraordinary. With a bit of milk (we like coconut milk here), some spices, eggs, bananas, and chocolate chips, you have something great to make out of those bread slices going stale in your kitchen. Danny and I had a chocolate-banana cake at our wedding, so we have a fondness for this flavor combination with bread pudding as well.

• 2 cups full-fat coconut milk
• ¼ cup (52 grams) coconut oil, melted
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• ½ cup (105 grams) organic cane sugar
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 6 cups gluten-free bread cubes
• 3 ripe bananas, cut into thick slices
• 1 cup (70 grams) semisweet chocolate chips (we like Guittard)

Prepare to bake. Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Heat the milk. Set a large pot over medium-high heat. Pour in the coconut milk and coconut oil. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is fully heated and beginning to simmer.

Make the bread pudding. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Stir in the bread cubes. Add the bananas and chocolate chips and toss everything together to coat. Pour in the milk mixture and stir everything together.

Bake the bread pudding. Pour the bread pudding into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Bake, uncovered, until a knife inserted in the center come out clean, about 45 minutes. Let the bread pudding cool for 15 minutes, then serve.

Feel like playing?

You can easily take out the chocolate and bananas here and use whatever flavorings you want: apples and walnuts; maple and bacon; apricots and hazelnuts; coffee syrup and pumpkin custard. You can make up what works best in your kitchen.