Bread and Butter Pudding
Stale bread soaked in vanilla custard with raisins and a sprinkle of demerara. The British nursery pudding that uses up the loaf you didn't finish; comes out with a crisp top and a soft custardy interior. Serve with cream or custard.
Overview
Slices of buttered bread layer in a baking dish with raisins and lemon zest. A custard of egg yolks, milk, cream, sugar and vanilla pours over and soaks in. Demerara sugar scatters on top for the crunch. Baked in a water bath until just set; the top crisps to dark gold.
Ingredients
Pudding
- 8 slices day-old white bread (slightly stale; about 250 g)
- 75 g unsalted butter (softened)
- 75 g raisins (or sultanas)
- 50 g mixed peel (optional)
- 1 lemon (zest)
Custard
- 4 egg yolks (large)
- 1 egg (large)
- 100 g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 300 ml whole milk
- 300 ml double cream
- A grating of fresh nutmeg
Topping
- 2 tablespoons demerara sugar
- A grating of nutmeg
To serve
- Pouring cream, custard, or vanilla ice cream
Method
Stage 1 - Layer the bread
- Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan).
- Butter a 25 x 18 cm baking dish.
- Butter all 8 slices of bread on one side; cut each into triangles.
- Layer half the triangles in the dish, butter-side up.
- Scatter half the raisins, half the peel and half the lemon zest.
- Repeat with the second layer.
Stage 2 - Custard
- Whisk the yolks, egg, sugar and vanilla in a bowl until pale.
- Heat the milk and cream in a pan until just steaming (don't boil).
- Pour the warm milk over the eggs slowly, whisking continuously.
- Strain through a sieve into a jug.
Stage 3 - Soak
- Pour the custard slowly over the bread; press the bread down gently so each slice absorbs.
- Sit for 20-30 minutes (the bread soaks up the custard properly; rushed soaking gives uneven puddings).
Stage 4 - Top and bake
- Sprinkle the demerara sugar evenly across the top.
- Grate fresh nutmeg over.
- Place the dish in a deep roasting tin; pour boiling water into the outer tin to come halfway up the dish.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until the top is deep golden and the custard is just set with a slight wobble in the centre.
Stage 5 - Serve
- Let stand 10 minutes (the custard sets).
- Serve warm with cream or custard.
Notes
- Stale bread is structural: Fresh bread turns to mush. Day-old to two-day-old is ideal.
- Soak before baking: Skipping the soak gives dry bread on top with custard pooled below. 20-30 minutes is the difference.
- Water bath: Keeps the custard from curdling at the edges. Don't skip; even a shallow tray of water helps.
Storage
- Keeps 2 days refrigerated. Reheat at 150°C for 15 minutes.
- Best fresh; reheated is fine.
More like this
British Apple Pie
Buttery shortcrust rests then rolls; one disc lines a pie dish, fills with sliced spiced apples, the second disc tops it. Egg-washed, sugared, vented, baked golden. The juices thicken with cornflour as they cook so the bottom doesn't go soggy.
Lemon Cake
Moist and fragrant lemon cakes with a tender crumb, brushed with rum syrup and topped with a shimmering lemon icing glaze. These elegant loaves showcase brightness and simplicity, making them perfect for elegant entertaining or afternoon tea service, best sliced thin and served with fresh tea.
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Dates are soaked in boiling water with bicarbonate of soda (which softens them and gives the sponge its dark colour). The dates are blended smooth, mixed into a butter-sugar-egg-flour batter, and baked. While it bakes, a toffee sauce is built: butter, brown sugar and cream simmered to glossy. Holes are poked in the warm pudding; the sauce is poured over.
Treacle Tart
Sweet shortcrust pastry: plain flour rubs with cold butter to breadcrumb texture; icing sugar adds sweetness; an egg yolk binds with a splash of water. Rests in the fridge 1 hour. The pastry is rolled, lined into a 22 cm fluted tart tin, pricked, chilled again, and blind-baked with baking beans for 15 min, then 5 more min uncovered. Filling: warm golden syrup, lemon zest and juice, fresh breadcrumbs from a day-old loaf, a beaten egg and a small pinch of ginger / cinnamon. Stirred together; poured into the blind-baked case. Baked at 180°C 25-30 min until set with a slight wobble. Cooled to warm; served with cold clotted cream.