Bread and Butter Pudding is a very English dessert and is really easy to make and is a good way to use up all the left over stale breads, dried fruits etc. Our trainer taught us a vanilla sauce to go with this easy dessert and it was delicious.

(makes five 4-inch aluminium foil cases)

Ingredients

For the bread and butter pudding

  • 250g milk
  • 100g melted butter
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 30g raisins
  • 5 pieces of bread cuts into cubes
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon powder

For the vanilla sauce (can be omitted)

  • 300g milk
  • 200g whipping cream
  • 80g caster sugar
  • 3 whole eggs
  • half a vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Method

For the bread and butter pudding

  1. Preheat the oven at 190 degrees C top and 175 degrees C bottom and prepare a tray with depth.
  2. Cut the bread into cubes.
  3. Pour melted butter over the bread and toss the bread to ensure the butter coats the bread.
  4. Heat the milk and sugar over medium heat until boiling.
  5. Crack the eggs in a mixing bowl and whisk in vanilla extract and cinnamon powder.
  6. Pour the heated milk into the eggs slowly, stirring continuously until all the milk is mixed in the eggs.
  7. Scatter bread and raisins randomly in the aluminium cases.
  8. Pour the custard mixture over the bread, squeeze lightly and add more custard if necessary. Sprinkle the top with sugar.
  9. Place the cases in the prepared tray and bake in water bath until the bread is lightly brown on top.

For the vanilla sauce

  1. Prepare a mixing bowl of ice and water.
  2. In a stainless steel pot, boil cream and milk.
  3. Crack the eggs in a large mixing bowl, add the sugar and vanilla and whisk to combine.
  4. Pour the hot cream and milk mixture slowly over the egg mixture, whisking continuously to prevent cooking the eggs.
  5. Pour the above back into the pot and heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens. To test if the sauce is ready, run your index finger over the back of the wooden spoon and if the path remains, it is ready.
  6. Place the pot into the prepared bowl of ice to stop the cooking. Continue to stir till the sauce cools completely.
  7. Leave to chill in fridge till ready to use.
  8. This can be kept for about a week.

This is an easy dessert and you can omit the vanilla sauce, but it adds another dimension to the dessert.