Bread & butter pudding Recipe

This Bread and Butter Pudding is a creamy and classic recipe, which is made with a rich vanilla custard and a sweet marmalade glaze. It’s the ultimate comfort food recipe, ready in about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Bread & butter pudding Ingredients

A classic combination for a truly decadent and comforting dessert.

For the Flavoured Butter:

• 100g unsalted butter, softened
• A large pinch of ground nutmeg
• A large pinch of ground cinnamon
• Zest of 1 large orange

For the Pudding:

• 8 x 1cm slices of good-quality bread (preferably stale)
• 9 large free-range or organic eggs
• 140g caster sugar
• 500ml semi-skimmed milk
• 565ml single cream
• 1 vanilla pod, scored lengthways and seeds removed

For the Glaze:

• 4 tablespoons good-quality fine-cut marmalade
• A little icing sugar, for dusting

How To Make Bread & butter pudding

A step-by-step guide to this wonderfully rich and custardy dessert.

1. Make the Flavoured Butter and Prepare Bread: Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. First, make your flavoured butter by mixing the softened butter with the nutmeg, cinnamon, and orange zest. Use a little of it to grease a medium-sized shallow, ovenproof dish. Butter the bread slices with the remaining flavoured butter, then cut each slice in half diagonally.
2. Make the Vanilla Custard: Separate the eggs, reserving all 9 yolks but just 1 egg white in a large bowl. Whisk the yolks and egg white together with the sugar until pale. Gently heat the milk and cream in a saucepan with the vanilla seeds and the scraped pod. Bring the mixture just to a simmer.
3. Temper the Custard and Assemble: Remove the vanilla pod from the hot cream. While whisking constantly, slowly pour the hot cream mixture into the eggs to temper them.
4. Assemble and Soak: Arrange the buttered bread slices in your prepared dish. Strain the custard mixture through a sieve and pour it over the bread. Let it all soak for at least 20 minutes.
5. Bake in a Water Bath: Place the dish in a larger roasting tray and carefully pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the side of the pudding dish. This is called a “bain-marie” or water bath. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the custard has just set but still has a slight wobble in the center.
6. Glaze and Finish: While the pudding bakes, gently warm the marmalade in a saucepan. Remove the pudding from the oven and brush the warm marmalade all over the top. Return the dish to the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes. Allow it to cool and firm up slightly before dusting with icing sugar and serving.

Recipe Tips

For a perfect, creamy bread and butter pudding every time.

• How to get a smooth, non-scrambled custard? The key is to “temper” the eggs. This means adding the hot liquid to the eggs very slowly while whisking continuously. This gently raises the temperature of the eggs without shocking and cooking them, ensuring a silky-smooth custard.
• Why bake the pudding in a water bath? A water bath provides gentle, even, and moist heat. This is crucial for delicate egg-based custards like this one, as it helps them to set perfectly without curdling, splitting, or becoming rubbery.
• What is the best bread to use? Slightly stale bread is perfect for bread and butter pudding! A day-old brioche, challah, or a good quality white loaf is ideal as it will soak up the custard beautifully without turning completely to mush.
• Can I use a different jam for the glaze? Yes, if you don’t have marmalade, a good quality apricot jam, warmed and sieved, is a classic and perfect substitute for glazing tarts and puddings.

What To Serve With Bread & butter pudding

The perfect accompaniments for this rich, sweet dessert.

This decadent pudding is a complete dessert in itself, especially when served warm from the oven. It is heavenly with:

• An extra drizzle of single or double cream
• A scoop of high-quality vanilla bean ice cream
• A hot cup of tea or coffee to balance the sweetness

How To Store Bread & butter pudding

Keeping your dessert fresh and delicious.

• Refrigerate: Once completely cooled, cover the pudding with plastic wrap or foil and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Reheat: For the best results, reheat individual portions in the microwave until just warm, or place the entire dish, covered with foil, in a moderate oven for about 20 minutes.

Bread & butter pudding Nutrition Facts

An estimated guide per serving.

• Calories: 500 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 55 g
• Protein: 12 g
• Fat: 25 g

Nutrition information is estimated and may vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used.

FAQs

Try More Recipes:

• Hot cross bun and butter pudding Recipe
• Mark Hamill’s Roast Sirloin & Yorkshire Puddings Recipe
• Wimbledon Summer Pudding Recipe