Bread and butter pudding

Put past-its-best bread to good use in this timeless British favourite. Soft and squidgy vanilla custard-soaked layers are finished with a demerara sugar top for irresistible golden crunch.

📝 Ingredients

• about 75g slightly salted butter, softened, plus extra to grease
• 10 slices slightly stale thick-sliced white bread
• 100 g sultanas, raisins or currants, or a mixture
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 1/2 tbsp demerara sugar
• nutmeg, to grate
• vanilla ice cream or custard, to serve (optional)
• 350 ml whole milk
• 200 ml double cream
• 1 vanilla pod
• 5 medium eggs
• 45 g caster sugar

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1For the custard, pour the milk and cream into a saucepan. Halve the vanilla pod lengthways, scrape out the seeds and add both the scraped-out pod and seeds to the pan. Heat until just below boiling point, then remove from the heat. Whisk the eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl, then slowly pour over the warm milk mixture, whisking constantly until smooth. Set aside for 20 minutes, then strain through a sieve into a large measuring jug or bowl.
2. 2Butter an approx. 26cm x 18cm x 6cm oven dish. Cut the crusts off from the slices of bread, then butter the slices on one side and cut each slice into 4 triangles. Arrange half the bread triangles in the base of the dish so they roughly overlap in one layer. Mix the dried fruit with the orange zest and sprinkle about half over the buttered bread layer. Repeat the layers once more. Give the custard a quick whisk, then pour over the pudding and gently press on the bread triangles to encourage soaking. Leave to soak for 30 minutes (or cover and soak in the fridge for a few hours).
3. 3Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Sprinkle the demerara sugar and a grating of nutmeg over the pudding, then bake for 30-35 minutes until puffed up and golden brown. Leave to stand for 5-10 minutes before serving with ice cream or custard, if liked.