2 cups whole milk

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1/3 cup unsalted butter

4 oz Baker's semi-sweet chocolate bar

4 large eggs

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 loaf French bread (or Challah), left out for a day or two

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

1) Chop the semi-sweet Baker's chocolate into chunks and add all but a handful to a pot of the milk. Whisk in sugar and cocoa powder and stir until boiling, and then add butter. Stir until dissolved and creamy in a rolling boil. Take off heat.

2) In  a large bowl, whisk together the four eggs, salt and vanilla extract. Gradually pour the chocolate mixture into the bowl, whisking together swiftly. Don't scramble the eggs, so go slow. 

3) Tear up the bread into cubes and add to the custard mixture, pressing down with a wooden spoon so that all the chunks are dunked and covered. Cover and let rest in the fridge for an hour.

4) Grease a baking dish. Heat oven to 350°. Transfer the bread and custard to the baking dish, and sprinkle the handful of chocolate on top of the pudding. Press into the bread pudding with the back of a wooden spoon. Bake for up to 45 minutes until slightly puffed up, edges separated from the sides a bit and the middle set. Cool for 10 minutes and then serve warm with vanilla ice cream.