Get the recipe: Companion Baking’s Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bread Pudding

According to Companion innovation leader Josh Galliano, the chocolate caramel pretzel bread pudding was an idea born out of one of the bakery’s cooking classes. The class demonstrated how folks could make Companion’s soft pretzel sticks at home, but often, those recipes made a lot more pretzels than could be enjoyed in a few days. By incorporating the stale pretzels into a bread pudding, both the texture and saltiness is offset by sweet ingredients to create something new entirely.

“Pretzels can be too salty, or they can be a little bitter because of going through the lye solution, but the great balance to it is all of that great custard that comes from the bread pudding,” Galliano says. 

And as for the addition of bourbon?

“I mean, why not, right?” he says. “It’s another flavor that’s super complementary to the other things. And where you might not normally think of bourbon and pretzels, bourbon goes really well with the caramel part of that and that saltiness part of it.” 

Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bread Pudding 

Salted Caramel 

• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup water
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 3½ Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tsp sea salt

Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bread Pudding 

• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3 whole eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ¼ cup bourbon
• 1 tsp salt
• 12 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 24 oz Companion Pretzel Sticks, preferably stale, cubed
• 6 Tbsp salted caramel (recipe follows)

| Preparation – Salted Caramel | In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine sugar and water over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring to a boil, without stirring. If necessary, use a wet pastry brush to wash down any crystals on the side of the pan. Boil until syrup is a deep amber color, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Remove sugar from heat and carefully whisk in heavy cream (mixture will bubble). Stir in unsalted butter and salt; transfer caramel to a dish to cool.

| Preparation – Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bread Pudding | Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 9-inch-by-13-inch baking pan.

In a medium saucepan, bring milk and cream to a simmer over moderately high heat.

In a large bowl, whisk whole eggs and yolks with sugar, bourbon and salt. Slowly whisk hot milk mixture into egg mixture, then whisk in chocolate pieces and stir until mostly melted.

Spread pretzel cubes in prepared baking dish and pour chocolate custard over top. Press pretzel into custard until evenly soaked, then let stand for 20 minutes.

Drizzle caramel over bread pudding. Set baking dish in a roasting pan and fill pan halfway with hot water. Bake bread pudding for 50 minutes, until a knife inserted into center comes out clean. Remove dish from water bath and let stand for 20 minutes.

Drizzle with more caramel before serving, if desired.