How to Make Bread and Butter Pudding

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: June 1, 2021

VIDEO

Everybody loves a good bread and butter pudding. There's lots of ways of making bread and butter pudding. The most basic pudding is quite simple to make. A deluxe bread and butter pudding takes a little bit of extra time and effort, but the results are well-worth it. Whichever pudding you end up making, you are bound to end up with a crowd-pleaser.

Ingredients

Basic Bread and Butter Pudding^{[1]
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1 ounce (25 grams) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
8 thin slices bread
2 ounces (50 grams) sultanas or raisins
2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
1½ (350 milliliters) whole milk
¼ (50 milliliters) double cream
2 eggs
2 tablespoons (30 grams) granulated sugar
Ground nutmeg, to taste

Deluxe Bread and Butter Pudding^{[2]
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5 small, soft round rolls, such as brioche
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
½ cup (75 grams) golden raisins
3⅓ cups (780 milliliters) whole milk
3⅓ cups (780 milliliters) heavy cream
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
5 eggs
1¼ cups (280 grams) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons (15 grams) confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Sauce (Optional)

2 tablespoons (40 grams) apricot jam
1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) water

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Making Basic Bread and Butter Pudding

If you'd like, you can sprinkle caster or superfine sugar inside the baking dish when you are done.
Cut the crusts off of the bread first, then spread the softened butter over one side of each slice. Cut each slice twice of bread to make four triangles.
Do not overlap or squish the bread slices together. You will have lots of bread left over, which you will be using for other layers.
If you do not like sultanas, or can't find any, you can use another type of dried fruit, such as raisins.
Make sure that you are always putting the bread down with the buttered side facing up. You last layer should be only bread—no sultanas or cinnamon.
Pour the milk and cream into a small saucepan, then stir them together to combine them. Place the saucepan on the stove, and turn the heat up to low. Do not let the milk and cream come to a boil. While the milk and cream are heating, you can prepare your egg mixture.
Crack the two eggs into a bowl, then add part of the sugar; save the rest of the sugar for later. Beat the eggs and sugar together with a whisk until they turn pale. The yolks and whites should be completely blended together.
Do not pour it too quickly, or you will risk cooking the eggs. Stir everything together with a whisk while you pour. This is now your custard base.
The strainer will catch any cooked bits of egg. Discard anything caught in the strainer.
Make sure that you pour the custard base evenly over the bread, so that everything gets soaked. You can use as much or as little nutmeg as you'd like.
This gives the bread enough time to soak up the custard, and for the different flavors to blend together.
Preheat your oven to 355°F (180°C) first. Then, place the pudding into the oven, and let it bake for 30 to 40 minutes. The pudding is ready when the custard thickens and the top turns a golden-brown color.^{[3]
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Once the pudding is done, use potholders to take the baking dish out of the oven. Set the dish down on a heat-safe surface, and wait a few minutes for the pudding to cool.

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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Making Deluxe Bread and Butter Pudding

Make sure that the baking rack is in the middle of the oven. Lightly coat the inside of a 9 by 13 by 2-inch (22.86 by 33.02 by 5.08 centimeters) baking dish with butter.
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Prepare the bread. Cut the soft rolls into 1-inch (2.54 centimeters) thick slices. Then, use a butter knife to spread the butter onto one side of each bread slice.^{[4]
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- You can choose any type of small, soft, round roll. Brioche is a great choice.
Arrange the slices in neat layers, one on top of the other. You will end up with several layers of bread. Make sure that you are setting the slices buttered-side-up in each layer.
If you don't like raisins, or can't find then, you can also use sultanas instead; they are very common in bread and butter puddings. Set the dish aside when you are done.
Pour the milk and heavy cream into the saucepan first, then stir them together. Stir in the salt next. Cut the vanilla beans open lengthwise, then use the tip of a knife to scrape the seeds into the saucepan. Stir everything together once more with a whisk.
Stir the milk mixture often as it is coming to a boil to prevent scorching. Once the milk is boiling, take the saucepan off the heat, and turn off the stove.
Crack the eggs open into a large mixing bowl, then add the sugar. Beat the two together with a whisk until the yolks break and blend in with the whites. This will take about 1 minute.
Do not pour all of the milk into the eggs all at once. Pouring a little bit of the hot milk into the eggs will allow the eggs to heat up slowly without cooking. This will give you a smoother custard base in the end.^{[5]
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Once you have the custard base mixed together, pour it through a fine, mesh strainer into a large mixing bowl. Discard any lumps or clumps that get caught in the strainer.
The bread will float to the top, so use a spatula or a spoon to press down on the bread until it soaks up the custard and sinks to the bottom. Be careful not to squish or break the bread.
The water inside the larger roasting pan will surround the baking dish, and help the pudding cook more evenly.
Carefully place the roasting pan with the pudding inside it into the oven, careful not to spill any water. Bake the pudding for 30 minutes, then use a spoon or spatula to press down any bread slices that might have floated to the top. Bake it about 30 more minutes. The pudding is ready when the custard sets and puffs up; it should still be jiggle-y in the middle.^{[6]
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Once the pudding is done, take the roasting pan out of the oven, and set it down on a wire cooling rack. Let the pudding cool a little in the roasting pan.
14
Consider making a tasty sauce for the pudding. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine 2 tablespoons (40 grams) of apricot jam with 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of water. Stir the two together with a fork or mini whisk until the jam turns liquid; this will take about 1 minute. Once you are done, use a pastry brush to spread the sauce over the pudding.^{[7]
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- This is not completely necessary, but it will lend the pudding more flavor.
Leave the pudding in its baking dish, and serve it while it is still warm.

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Tips

When you take out the pudding get some more sultanas and sprinkle over the pudding and put back in the oven for another 5 minutes. Serve with apricot sauce or raspberry sauce

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You can use either sultanas or raisins for this.

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