Some people love bread and butter pud, while others hate it. How do you make it?
Rarely has a dessert been praised for its unpretentious, but utterly delicious name. It’s Victorian Nursery Food in its best form; blandly creamy, comfortingly thick, and the perfect way to use all those half-loaves that Christmas guests left behind.
Stale v fresh
After making two batches of Delia Smith’s classic recipe I discovered that using fresh bread produces an unpleasantly soggy outcome.
Use any sweet or plain bread that you prefer. A panettone from the holiday tea table would be ideal as it is already adorned with the candied peel and dried fruits you may want to add. I had also success using a sourdough, which gave my pudding a chewy, unorthodox texture.
What about a good old soak?
Bread and Butter Pudding is not something you can throw together in a hurry. You need to give the bread time to become familiar with the custard before baking it. Unless you are Delia Smith. Her Rich bread and Butter Pudding is baked straight in the oven.
I make two and let one sit for 30 minutes while the other is cooking. The first pudding has a crispier top, but is less creamy than the version that’s been soaked. I settle on a compromise by soaking the bottom layer first and adding a new layer of custard and bread just before baking.
Custard: a question of taste
The most common bread and butter recipes use a simple custard consisting of milk, cream and sugar, which is then poured over the bread. In the recipe of Victorian cook Eliza Acton, the custard is made by heating the cream and sugar to just below boiling point and pouring the mixture over the eggs. Then, the custard is beaten well and poured on the bread. This is a waste of time – it makes no difference. However, using a cornstarch-thickened custard is a disaster. The pudding is heavy and dry without the extra liquid.
Extra touches
Eliza also soaks dried fruit in brandy or rum overnight. I like this – a hot toddy with hot pudding all in one. Nigel Slater’s marmalade-based version is not my favourite. It has a slight hint of alcohol, but I think bread and butter pudding should be creamy and bland. This one tastes more like breakfast. Leiths Cooking Bible suggests baking bread and butter pudding in a bain-marie to achieve a smoother texture. It keeps the temperature uniform, according to the book. The roasting pan is easy to use and gives a silkier, softer set.
Bread and butter pudding is not something to rush and shouldn’t be played with. It’s frugal cooking at its best. Birds won’t be interested in stale bread that tastes this good.
Perfect bread and butter pudding
50g currants or raisins, or a mix, optional
Optional: 3 tbsp Brandy
200ml Whole Milk
Vanilla pod, halved
Half a lemon zest
75g of slightly salted butter
Cut 8 triangles from 8 pieces of slightly stale fruit bread, white sourdough or panettone.
3 eggs
2 tbsp of caster sugar
100ml double cream
1 tbsp demerara sugar
Nutmeg, grate
1. You can skip this step, if you are using fruit bread or panettone. Pour the brandy over the dried fruit in a small glass. Cover tightly with a towel and let soak over night.
2. Pour the milk and vanilla pod into a small saucepan when you are ready to make pudding. Bring the milk to a boil, turn off the heat and add the vanilla pod. Allow to cool.
3. Butter the baking dish, and place half of the slices inside in rows. Then, beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla pod until well combined. Add the cream and milk to the egg mixture. Pour a little bit more than half of the mixture over the bread. Add the soaked fruits if you are using them and let it sit for 20 minutes.
4. Pre-heat your oven to 180C. Place the remaining bread in the second layer of the baking dish, and pour over the remainder of the custard. Dot the remaining butter over top, sprinkle with demerara and grated nutmeg.
5. Pour the mixture into a roasting pan and half fill with water. Cook for 35 – 45 minutes until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
What is the best way to make bread and butter pudding? What do you add to yours?
There is a reason why should not support.
Not everyone has the money to pay for news. We make our journalism available to everyone, even in India. Please continue to read our journalism for free if this is you.
If you can, there are 3 reasons why you should support us.
1. The quality of our investigative journalism, which is an important force in a world where the powerful and rich are getting away more and more
2. We’re independent, and your money is directly funding our reporting.
3. It’s not expensive and it takes less time to read than this message.
You can support the journalism by donating a small amount or more. Monthly donations start at $2. You can set it up in less than one minute and be assured that your monthly contribution will have a significant impact on the open, independent journalism. Thank you.