I always find a well made bread and butter pudding pretty hard to resist, especially when its still warm just out of the oven
This a fantastic way of using up any left over or stale bread you have, I've lightly baked the cubed bread before making the pudding, You don't have to but it helps soak up all those delicious flavours
I've also soaked my dried fruit beforehand in some Amaretto liquor, you don't have to do this either , but it will help take your pudding to another level, You can use anything you want really, rum, brandy, Baileys
The argument as to what you serve with this pudding, is for another day i think, you cannot go far wrong with custard, ice cream never really seems to do it justice, clotted cream is a great choice, but, i'll leave that decision to you
This recipe will serve 4 people
Ingredients list
300g of stale bread, cut the crusts off and cut into cubes
1 pint of whole milk
165g of caster sugar
seeds from one vanilla pod, or vanilla flavouring
6 whole eggs
200g of dried fruit, it doesn't matter what, currants, raisins, sultanas or a mixture
200ml of Liquor to soak the fruit in ( of your choice)
Maple syrup for glazing (optional)
Method
1. Pre heat the oven to 165c
2. Put the bread cubes onto a baking sheet in an even layer, bake in the oven until golden, this will take about 6-7 minutes, turn a couple of times during baking for an even bake
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs and vanilla until they become thick and creamy
4. If you are adding a liquor, add this to your fruit and allow to soak for about 20 minutes
5. Stir the milk into the egg mixture and now fold in the bread cubes
6. Once the fruit has soaked add this to the mixture, carefully stir, and allow to stand for about 20 minutes, this will allow all those wonderful flavours to soak into the bread
7. After 20 minutes, carefully pour the mixture into an oven proof dish, you can use individual ones if you are wanting to be really flashy
8. Place your pudding into the oven, and bake for 40-45 minutes, till the mixture is lightly set, it doesn't want to be to firm
9. If you are using the maple syrup, lightly warm he syrup and brush over the pudding, this will give it a lovely shine and looks awesome
Allow to cool slightly and serve with whatever is your choice, i think you'll agree once you have tasted this pudding you will be hooked