Mary Berry’s bread and butter pudding

Mary Berry’s bread and butter pudding
Prepare
less than 30 mins
Cook
30 mins to 1 hour
Serve
Serves 6-8

Bread and butter pudding is a great family favourite to follow a weekend lunch and Mary Berry's luxurious version is packed with plump sultanas and topped with crunchy demerara sugar. Although bread and butter pudding is known as a great way to use up stale bread (and it is!), this version isn't economical – just thoroughly delicious!

Ideally use a large rectangular or oval dish simply because the bread fits it better.

By Mary Berry

From Mary at 90: A Lifetime of Cooking

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Ingredients

Recipe tips

Method

  1. Generously butter a 23–25cm/9–10in (3 pint) shallow ovenproof dish. Ideally the dish should be large enough to arrange the bread in two layers.

  2. Mix the lemon zest with the sultanas in a bowl.

  3. Butter all the slices of bread on one side. Cut each buttered slice into four squares.

  4. Whisk the eggs in a bowl, then stir in the milk and cream.

  5. Sprinkle the base of the dish with some of the sultanas. Arrange half the bread squares across the base, buttered-side down. Sprinkle most of the remaining sultanas over the bread, then top with half the sugar. Arrange the remaining bread, buttered side up, over the sultanas and sugar.

  6. Pour the milk mixture over the bread, then sprinkle the remaining sugar on top. Set aside for 1 hour, or longer if time allows, so the milk mixture soaks into the bread.

  7. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.

  8. Sprinkle the remaining sultanas over the top of the pudding, then push them down into the bread.

  9. Place near the top of the preheated oven and bake for 30–35 minutes, or until set, risen and golden.

  10. Serve at once with pouring cream. It is at its best straight from the oven.

Recipe tips

If you are not keen on sultanas, just leave them out, or swap for other dried fruit.

This recipe is best made and served on the day. It is not suitable for freezing.

As the recipe needs to sit and soak for an hour it's a great recipe to prep ahead for a family dinner. Put it together earlier in the day and then pop it in the oven when you sit down for the main course.

Demerara sugar adds a lovely crunch to the top layer of bread as well as a gentle caramel flavour.