This Aldi Bakery Item Is My Secret To A Divine Bread Pudding

Aldi's bakery section has a lot of tasty goodies that you should add to your cart, from delightfully soft carrot cake sandwich cookies to buttery blueberry muffins. But there's one item I love to purchase for both its fantastic flavor and what I can make with it: The Specially Selected chocolate chip brioche that's imported from France. While many loyal customers like to whip up French toast with the Aldi item, I use the loaf to create an undeniably drool-worthy bread pudding. That is, if I miraculously have any leftovers.

One of the best ways to elevate bread pudding is to use other bread bases for it beyond the basic white bread. So, buying this chocolate-laden brioche loaf from Aldi can be exactly what you need to level up your next baked treat with minimal effort. I'm not the only person who loves it; the bakery product is highly loved by Aldi customers who mention that it's hard to stop eating it from the packaging. It's sweet thanks to those chocolate chip morsels, but it's nowhere near cloying, making it a fantastic base for a customizable bread pudding. 

Of course, you can buy the Specially Selected chocolate chip brioche to eat as it is. It's buttery and delicious with that pleasant hint of earthy cocoa that makes it enticing to eat straight from the package. But I encourage you to hold off for at least two days (if not more), so you can bake up some bread pudding — you can make a smaller, personal batch if you have just a portion of it leftover. 

The brioche is incredibly pillowy and soft straight from the store, so it's vital to wait at least a couple of days so it can firm up a little. This is key to a rich bread pudding because it moistens up with the addition of egg, milk, cream, and butter. If you use the Aldi brioche the day of purchase, it will be altogether too soft and ultimately turn into a mushy, unappetizing-looking creation (it'll taste pretty good though). Other than that, simply follow your favorite bread pudding recipe and swap in the brioche instead of the standard bread. 

Jazz up the flavor with a sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg, or my personal favorite, cardamom. Some recipes call for raisins, but I say load it up with more chocolate chips, specifically the Baker's Corner semi-sweet mini chocolate morsels that Aldi sells. You'll never go back to your standard white or whole wheat-based bread pudding after trying this version.