Red Currant Bakery

Prep the Bread
0 Tear or cut your stale bread into 2" (ish) chunks. If the bread doesn't feel dry, leave it sitting out for a few hours to dry out a bit more.
Custard
3 In a separate large microwave safe mixing bowl, melt the butter in 15 second increments.
4 Add in the sugar, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon and whisk to combine. Crack in the eggs one at a time and whisk to combine after each egg.
5 Pour in the milk and heavy cream and whisk once more.
6 Add the stale bread into the bowl with the custard and really mix it up, you can even use your hands to make sure all the bread is soaked.
7 Preheat the oven to 375 F and place a rack in the center of the oven.
8 Leave the bread and custard in the mixing bowl and chop up the chocolate.
9 Pour the chocolate into the bowl with the bread and custard and stir to combine.
10 In a separate small bowl, mix together the remaining brown sugar and cinnamon.
Assemble and Bake
12 Once the oven is hot, add half of the bread pudding mixture into your pan. I use this metal loaf pan from USA Pan which is non stick and all around amazing but if you are using a different loaf pan, I recommend lining it with a long rectangle of parchment that reaches down one long side of the pan and up the other.
13 Sprinkle the layer with half of the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture.
14 Add the second half of the bread pudding mixture into the pan and optionally sprinkle with any remaining cinnamon sugar.
15 Bake the bread pudding in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for another 25-30 minutes.
16 The bread pudding will puff up and become golden brown.
17 Once baked, remove the pan from the oven and leave it to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving it.
18 If baked in a ceramic casserole dish, you can simply spoon out large servings for everyone.
19 If baked in a loaf pan I recommend using a wooden spatula or a plastic spatula to cut it into slices in the pan without scratching the pan.
20 To turn it into french toast the next day, you can just let it cool completely in the pan and then cover it and store it in the fridge.