bread and butter pudding

Ingredients

• ▢8 heaped cups white bread, preferably slightly stale, cut into 2.5 cm / 1″ cubes (see Note 1 if for pre-sliced bread)
• ▢1 cup sultanas or raisins (or more!)

EGG MIXTURE:

• ▢3 eggs
• ▢1 1/2 cups milk (low or full fat, not zero fat)
• ▢1 cup heavy / thickened cream (or any other cream, Note 2 for more milk option)
• ▢3 tbsp / 40g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• ▢1/2 cup white sugar
• ▢1 tsp cinnamon powder
• ▢1 tsp vanilla extract

FINISHES / SERVING

• ▢30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted – for top pre baking
• ▢20g / 1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted – for brushing post baking (optional)
• ▢Icing sugar / powdered sugar, for dusting
• ▢Ice cream, cream, custard, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, etc

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (all oven types)
• Egg Mixture: Place eggs in a large bowl, whisk briefly. Add remaining Egg Mixture ingredients and whisk.
• Soak Bread: Add bread and sultanas, briefly mix, then set aside for 3 minutes to allow egg mixture to soak through the bread.
• Transfer to baking dish: Pour into a baking dish (10 cup / 2.5 litre / 2.5 quart). If you have lots of sultanas on the surface, poke them below the surface (Note 3).
• Drizzle then bake: Drizzle over melted butter, then bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until golden on top and the inside is set but still slightly wobbly (poke to check).
• Brush with remaining 1 1/2 tbsp melted butter (optional), then dust with icing sugar.
• Serve – rest for a few ninutes, then serve immediately, with toppings of choice! My favourites are ice cream, custard and cream.

 Recipe Notes:

1. Bread – Though the classic version is made with plain white bread, you can make this with any bread of choice – like raisin bread, hot cross buns, brioche, anything!I don’t make this with heavily flavoured or chewy artisan breads – like rye or sourdough – or seeded breads.

Gluten free – absolutely works, it just comes down to how good the GF bread is 

Measuring bread – See photo in post for what I mean by heaped cups. Basically stack bread in a cup so it’s heaped – imagine if you pressed down lightly, it would level the cup. Can’t provide a weight as breads differ in density. Don’t get hung up on exact measurement – you’ll easily be able to tell when you mix the bread and egg, should be soaked through, still some egg mixture pooling (slightly). The worst is using way too much bread that doesn’t get soaked through = dry pudding!

Pre-sliced bread: Also terrific made with PRE SLICED sandwich bread slices! Use 12 slices (thick cut) or 14 slices (normal thickness), cut in half into triangles then layer in the baking dish slightly overlapping (so surface isn’t flat), scatter each layer with sultanas, and pour egg mixture over the whole thing.

Slightly stale bread works a bit better because it doesn’t soak through instantly and turn into mush. If using super fresh bread, just be a bit more gentle when tossing into Egg Mixture. However do not use bread that is TOO stale – ie. so dry it’s difficult to tear or worse. Save that stuff for grating into breadcrumbs instead!2.

Cream – The basic Bread & Butter Pudding recipe is made with only milk. I like using cream to give this a bit of richness.

Just milk option: Add an extra egg (so 4 eggs in total) then use milk instead of cream (so 2 1/2 cups milk in total). You need the extra egg to ensure this sets because milk is not as thick as cream.3.

Sultanas have a tendency to brown a bit too much in this bake time. So while some on the surface is fine, you don’t want too many. So if lots end up on the surface, poke them in a bit

4. WHAT I DO DIFFERENTLY (and why): Most classic recipes butter the bread slices before cutting / tearing and soaking. I prefer to add melted butter into the mixture for more even distribution and it’s just easier, and I like to brush the top with butter before and after baking, just for that extra buttery goodness! (Plus it makes it really nice and golden on top).Also, while delicious made with sliced bread, I think it’s even better made with cut/torn loaf or rolls because you get a WAY better crunchy surface and the texture of the inside is better – more custardy (due to larger bread pieces), fluffier and can be cut with straight sides and stacked on plates so it sits tall and impressively (pictured in post).

5. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. If made using chunks of bread as per recipe, it will even keep the crunchy topping even if reheated in the microwave! I haven’t tried freezing but I see no reason why it wouldn’t work given I freeze Cheese and Bacon Breakfast Strata (which is a savoury bread pudding).

6. Nutrition per serving assuming 8 servings, excluding toppings (because I cannot be held accountable for how much custard you pour over your pudding!). If you include a scoop of ice cream, there’s enough for 8 sensible servings.