Bread and butter pudding is made by soaking buttered stale bread in custard and then baked till the custard is set. This English classic dessert, though made from simple ingredients, takes bread to the next level. It is one of the good old desserts that never fail to please my palate. For most people, the whole idea of making this pudding is to “salvage” the stale bread that is nearly going into the bin. But I love this pudding so much that I purposely “created” stale bread to make this dessert.
My ideal bread and butter pudding must have beautiful crusty top with soft and moist custard inside. Although this pudding requires little effort, it takes time and patient to make. You need to allow 30 minutes for the custard to be fully absorbed into the bread before popping it into the oven.
One interesting point is that this pudding will be baked using water bath/ bain marie. The baking dish holding the pudding is placed onto a larger pan which is filled with hot water. This technique helps to cook the pudding with more uniform heat as well as prevent it from drying.
When choosing bread, the common types used for this dessert are white bread, wholemeal bread, croissant, brioche and panettone. Stale bread (ie 2 days old) is often preferred over fresh bread as the latter will make your pudding soggy. The thickness of the bread also plays an important role if you do not wish to see your pudding to collapse and shrink after baking. I learned this tip after making mistake to use pre-sliced bread with a thickness of 1cm. My hubby would giggle every time he saw my ugly looking pudding. Nevertheless, he still gobbled up all of them happily as they tasted delicious.
I found that most bread and butter pudding recipes don’t match my personal requirement. They are either called for a square or rectangle baking dish or made large quantities which usually serve 6-8 persons. Thus, with my own concoction, I came out with a recipe that does not only yield a smaller portion serving 2-3 persons but also fits well into an oval shaped baking dish.
My son and I had a great time making this pudding. In fact, he did most of the steps. So happened on that day my sister came for a visit. As I know, she never likes bread and butter pudding as the ones she tried before were mushy. Much to my surprise, she loved my version a lot!! She even brought some home. Later that day, she called to say that her family including her maid liked it very much. This made my son very happy and proud of his “baking skill”! He kept reminding me to post this recipe up as soon as possible so his aunt can make this delicious pudding for her family too.
-> Get the recipes and step by step photos at PAGE 2 below.
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wow you turn stale bread into something so gourmet ^^
Noobcook: Thanks for your sweet comment! 😉
No wonder people say a picture paints a thousand words… your bread and butter pudding looks so delicious that I wish I could savour a few pieces!
Joyce Ang: Thanks for your compliment!;)
I agree with wiffy! Dynamic duo – you and your son 🙂
Tigerfish: Hahaha! Thanks for your kind words! 🙂
I can remember the first time i made bread and butter pudding… It was not half as good as yours… but that week, I gained 2 pounds… This is going to get me into trouble… I just know it!
Jesica: Thanks!! After hearing your story, I think I need to stop eating it for some time now. lol! 😉
he he he, I cooked this similar dish last week…yum yum….simple and nice
Peteformation: What a co-incidence! 😉
Beautiful and I bet it’s delicious! I did it once with coconut milk, sinful but very fragrant.
LCOM: Thanks! Never thought of coconut milk. Good idea! 😉
I always think that bread pudding looks like a hard object to photograph because of the texture and boring color. But it doesn’t apply to you at all. I’m loving how you styled this food! So much to learn from you. I now feel that I like bread pudding using Asian’s toast… American bread is not always so good. Your bread looks like Japanese toast. Yum…
Nami (JOC): Thanks for your wonderful compliment! You really have eagle eyes! Yes, I bought the bread from a Japanese bakery shop. 😉
i have tried few of your recipes and Im loving it..gonna try tis too,and my son will surely ask 4 more..yum yum..keep it up!!!
Florence: Glad that my recipes suit your little boy’s taste bud. Hope he likes this one too. 😉
I’ve never thought much of this; and now you mention that it’s stale bread? Your version definitely did not look stale whatsoever had you not mention it; it looks like something spun by a professional gourmet chef for a competition!:D
Lovely and great job done 🙂
Christy: Hahaha! I’m so flattered with your wonderful compliment! Thanks! 😉
So good! You put those mushy puddings to shame. I also noticed that you’ve cleverly halved one triangular slice into two to fit the baking dish, which is neat and smart!
TasteHongKong: Thanks! Glad you like this little tip of mine. 😉
This is going to be my next to-do treat for my boy! Just to check why do we need to condition the raisin 1 day earlier? Since its just to rinse with water and pour it out?
Lily: It may take some time for the raisins to plump up and become moist. You can do it overnight or one two hours before making the pudding. Can’t wait to hear your feedback after trying it out. 😉
I made this today and it was very yummy indeed! 🙂
Lily: Thanks for your prompt feedback!! Glad it suits your palate! 😉
This recipe is so clever, simple and yummy. Your pics are very gorgeous. Want to grab one from my screen. 🙂
Christine’s Recipes: Thanks for your sweet comment! 😉
Looks really neat and inviting. I would enjoy every mouthful 😀
MaryMoh: Thanks!! 😉
I am not joking but I have not tried great and butter pudding. I need to give it a go now!
Lee Mei (MCH): Oh really? Then you better make one soon! 😉