Chocolate Bread Pudding

I love bread pudding so much. This chocolate version is simply divine. Although  I'm not including the recipe her but a dark chocolate rum sauces is delicious as a topping.

Ingredients

1 (12-inch) piece day-old baguette, cut into 1/3-inch slices, then slices halved crosswise (4 cups)

3 cups half-and-half

1/2 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

10 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped

6 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits

Directions

1. Generously butter a 2 1/2- to 3-quart soufflé dish. Put bread in dish.

2. Heat half-and-half, sugar, and salt in a 2-quart saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is hot but not boiling. Remove from heat and add chocolate, then let stand 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Lightly beat eggs together in a large bowl and slowly add chocolate mixture, whisking until combined. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over bread and let soak at room temperature, pressing bread down occasionally, 1 hour.

3. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F.

4. Dot top of pudding with butter bits. Bake in a hot water bath until edge is set but center still trembles slightly, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool pudding to warm in dish on a rack. (Pudding will continue to set as it cools.)