Description
A classic and comforting bread and butter pudding made with cubes of slightly stale white bread soaked in a rich egg, milk, and cream mixture, studded with sultanas, and baked until golden and set. This dessert is perfect served warm with cream, custard, or ice cream.
Ingredients
Scale
Bread and Fruit
- 8 heaped cups white bread, preferably slightly stale, cut into 2.5 cm / 1″ cubes
- 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, see 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
Finishing
- 30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted – for drizzling on top before 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., for serving
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) suitable for all oven types to ensure even baking of the pudding.
- Prepare Egg Mixture: In a large bowl, place the eggs and whisk briefly to combine. Add milk, heavy cream, melted and cooled butter, white sugar, cinnamon powder, and vanilla extract, then whisk thoroughly to create a smooth custard.
- Soak Bread: Add the cubed bread and sultanas to the egg mixture and gently toss to coat. Let it sit for 3 minutes to allow the liquid to soak completely into the bread cubes.
- Transfer to Baking Dish: Pour the soaked bread mixture into a 10 cup (2.5 litre) baking dish. If sultanas are heavily on the surface, gently push them below the surface for even distribution during baking.
- Drizzle Butter and Bake: Drizzle the 30g melted butter evenly over the surface of the pudding. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the custard inside is set but still slightly wobbly when touched.
- Optional Butter Brush: After baking, optionally brush the top with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons (20g) of melted butter for a glossy finish.
- Dust and Serve: Dust the warm pudding with icing sugar. Let it rest for a few minutes, then serve immediately with your choice of ice cream, custard, cream, or sauces like chocolate or caramel.
Notes
- Note 1: For pre-sliced bread, consider lightly toasting the slices to dry them out before cutting into cubes to help absorb the custard better.
- Note 2: For a lighter option, reduce cream and increase milk accordingly, but using cream results in a richer pudding.
- Note 3: Ensure sultanas are pushed below the surface before baking to prevent them from burning and to distribute their sweetness evenly.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
Keywords: bread and butter pudding, traditional dessert, British pudding, custard baked pudding, sultanas pudding, comfort food
