Bread and Butter Pudding Recipe

For me there is nothing quite like bread and butter pudding. It's frugal and economical a great way of using up left-over white bread adding a simple custard, allowing to soak and then oven baking so that the bread is soft and browned and the custard soufflés up around it. How to make ordinary leftovers into something extraordinary.

I particularly like making this around Christmas with left-over panettone and you can use most bread types, but fruited breads are particularly good. I also like to spread a little marmalade over my bread slices after buttering as the tart marmalade gives an additional depth of flavour. The basic recipe is so simple (but so delicious) that you can adapt it many ways.

Here though I give the classic basic version with my only twist being the addition of a little cinnamon and nutmeg (which you can omit).

Bread and Butter Pudding

Serves: 4–6

Ingredients:

50g (1/4 cup) butter

5 slices of medium white sliced bread (best if they are a few days old)

75g (1/2 cup) raisins or sultanas (golden raisins)

250ml (1 cup) whole milk

75g (1/2 cup, scant) caster sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

150ml (3/5 cup) single cream

ground cinnamon for dusting

freshly-grated nutmeg, to taste

Method:

Use some of the butter to grease an oven proof dish. Use the remaining butter to spread over the bread slices. Cut the bread diagonally twice to produce four triangles from each slice.

Layer the bread in the greased dish with the buttered side upwards. Arrange the slices so that each piece overlaps the next slightly and the pieces in front overlap the joins of the ones behind.

As you finish a layer sprinkle over a few of the dried fruit then scatter the remaining dried fruit over the top.

Pour the milk into a saucepan and gently allow to warm. Stir in the sugar until it dissolves then take off the heat.

Crack the eggs into a bowl along with the vanilla extract and whisk until smooth. Beat in the cream then beat in the warm milk. Add a little grated nutmeg to taste. Pour this mixture over the bread and then gently press the bread slices into the custard so that they absorb it. Set aside to soak for 20 minutes.

Set the baking dish in a roasting tin then carefully pour in enough boiling water to come half way up the sides of the baking dish. Sprinkle over a little ground cinnamon then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 140ºC (300ºF, Gas Mark 3) and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the custard is just set but still a little wobbly.

Serve hot.

For more ideas of what to do with your leftovers, why not visit the Celtnet leftovers recipes and ideas pages?