A childhood treat. I loved bread pudding growing up. As a child I had no idea it was made with stale bread.
In the Caribbean you would buy bread pudding from the bakery, mom never made this at home. I forgot about bread pudding while living in the United States; I’m assuming that’s not something Americans eat. It wasn’t till I moved to Australia, I saw bread pudding again. The Australians lovingly call it bread and butter pudding.
Most lovers of bread pudding are the older generation. Where you can get it as a desert in the RSL (returning soldiers league), you won’t find it in trendy young pubs in the city.
I love this treat, and I love that I can make it with stale bread, for zero waste cooking.
Before you throw that loaf away, try this.
Bread pudding is a custard and bread mixture.
Ingredients
4 large eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup melted butter
4 cups diced stale bread
2 cups saltanas
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
1 tbsp Vanilla essence
1 tsp almond essence
1 tbsp cinnamon powder
Soak your diced bread in the melted butter. See to it that the bread is covered in butter. Add your saltanas (or dried blueberries 🫐).
In another bowl make your custard mixture; beat eggs and milk together till combined. Add the rest of your ingredients.
Pour custard mixture onto bread mixture, make sure the resultant ‘batter’ is not too dry or too wet. This will depend on the bread used, if the mixture it too dry, add a bit more milk, if it too wet, add more bread. Make sure all the bread is soaked.
Butter your baking pan, don’t use a pan that is too shallow.
Bake at 180 C for 45 minutes. This pudding should be firm but soft and brown and crusty on top like toast but soft in the middle.
This is a wet pudding, served with hot custard and tart fruit like strawberry or blueberry.
A great desert for winter after a roast dinner. Or a snack with a hot drink.
As a child I did not need a reason to have bread pudding.
Bon Manger!
Grande Mangeur 