Summer Bread and Butter Pudding..

print
P1170328A relentlessly wet Saturday in July  prompted the need for something comforting as dessert. The coincidental purchase of a Brioche loaf at the Market made Bread and Butter pudding a rather Wintery choice, so I decided to try to lighten it up a bit…I have to say it was a great success..

Edit: Today I used up all the 3-day-old bread in the house, and used some of my Blueberries instead of raisins – The Blueberries burst when they’re cooked and drizzle themselves into the bread – Yum! This is an ideal way to use up those soft supermarket Blueberries – the ones that I can’t bring my self to eat raw!

Easter Edit!: I’m using leftover home-made Hot Cross Buns to make a special B+B pudding for our Easter Sunday dessert! Yum!

EQUIPMENT:

  • A two-pint oven-proof dish, well buttered( I use an old Pyrex one)
  • A high-sided jug
  • Whisk – a hand whisk will do.

INGREDIENTS: for about 4 hungry people!

  • 1 small  Brioche  good quality white loaf; crusts removed, and  cut into slices of about 1-2 cm thickness.
  • Butter    P1170318
  • 3 eggs
  • 250ml carton of whipping cream
  • 2oz caster sugar
  • Jam of your choice (I usually use marmalade for this in the winter time, but today I used some home-made gooseberry and elderflower that I’d picked up at a Church sale)
  • Handful of Sultanas (that’s what I used today, but for my next venture, I’ll be trying thinly sliced peaches or nectarines, to make the whole dish feel more summery)
  • 1 teaspoon of Vanilla paste or a cap or two of Vanilla extract.

METHOD:

  • Heat the oven to 180
  • Generously butter the dish
  • Spread the slices of bread with butter and  jam
    P1170324
    Ready for the oven..
  • Arrange half the slices of bread in the bottom of the dish
  • sprinkle on half of the sultanas (I don’t use a huge amount, by the way)
  • and repeat with the rest of the bread and sultanas.
  • Put the eggs, cream, sugar and vanilla extract into the jug and beat well for a minute or so to combine
  • Pour the egg mixture slowly over the entire contents of the dish, allowing the custard mixture (because that’s what it is) to soak into the bread. I tend to push the bread down a little to ensure that it’s all well soaked through.
  • At this stage, you can leave it for a while (or overnight, covered, in the fridge) to make sure the egg has soaked in, but I usually just put it straight into the oven.
  •  Give it about 30-40 minutes until it has puffed up and the edges of the uppermost pieces of bread are beautifully crisp and golden along the edges. It may still be slightly wobbly under the first layer, but if you don’t like that, just give it another 5 minutes.
P1170327

Puffed up and crispy- perfect!

  • Serve warm with proper custard (for true comfort!) or with a little pouring cream.

NOTES:

  • For my St Patrick’s Day Banana Bread and Butter Pudding,(the time we ate the ordinary bread for lunch!)  I just buttered the last-week’s Banana Bread, but didn’t bother with jam at all..
  • The cooking time will depend on what kind of bread you’re using. Don’t forget that even ordinary sliced pan is ideal for Bread and Butter pudding any day of the year!

 

About

I started writing down recipes in an old copybook when I was about 16. With 6 children at home, my Mother was always glad of a hand in the kitchen, and really allowed us to experiment - as long as we washed up afterwards, and left the kitchen immaculate! Having a tidy kitchen has followed me through my life, as has the habit of writing down my favourite recipes; except that these days I write them for my website, and add photographs when I can. The website really started when it occurred to me that my daughter might like to have these recipes when I've forgotten them. In my early days of cooking for family and friends, I used to phone my Mum all the time to ask her for the recipe for some of our favourite family dinners. She rarely had a recipe to hand - I think, like me, she made a lot of it up as she went along.. So welcome to Eating for Ireland - these are the recipes that my friends and family having been eating these past 40 years.. yes, I truly am ancient! They are tried and tested, and have worked for me for all that time - I have updated them as new ingredients became available - I really hope you'll find something that you can make into a family favourite of your own. You don't have to tell anyone where you found these great new dishes that you're serving up - it can be our little secret, but I'd really love it if you could give me a sneaky 'follow' on Facebook and Instagram.. So off you go - have a good rummage around, you're bound to find something new! My sincere thanks to all of you who have found a recipe that you liked and dropped me a line to tell me - I really do love to hear from you! Happy Cooking! Becks xx

Posted in