Bread and butter pudding

Inspired with my use up your banana muffins yesterday I have decide to do another use up stuff recipe today.  And that is one that I have not made for such along time that now I sit here and think about it, it is like remembering a old friend that you have not seen in such a long time. Now I remember my mum making bread and butter pudding and we would eat it cold. Latter in life I was taught to eat it hot and to be honest if you are going to eat it fresh then hot is best, but a day or to old cold is better. Especially if you use a good amount of spices and dried fruit as it sort of matures, a bit like a fruit cake. So here is my basic recipe that you can make and adapt if you like.

You will need.

9 or 10  slices white bread
9 or 10  slices brown bread
150g/5½oz butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
175g/6oz sultanas
150g/15½oz caster sugar
6 eggs
850ml /3pt full fat milk
850ml/3pt whipping cream
Good pinch of ground nutmeg
Good pinch of ground cinnamon
Few drop of vanilla essence

Now I use brown and white bread purely for aesthetic value, as you can get a layer of brown, and then white as you build it up but you can use all white if you wish. All brown bread might be a bit much. Also it is up to you if you take the crusts off. Personally, I take them off for the bottom layers and leave them on for the top as it gives a more attractive finish. In addition, I cut the top in to triangles and leave the base in squares; it just makes fill the dish easier. Another thing, you do not have to use sultanas, you can use almost any dried fruit. 

Start by buttering your bread then laying it in the dish building up the layers. Between each layer of bread, sprinkle some of the sultanas. Build up the layer until you have filled your dish.

Take ¾ of the cream and the milk and the nutmeg cinnamon and vanilla and heat this all up in a saucepan together.  Then in a bowl whisk the eggs and the sugar together. Just before the milk and cream come to the boil, take of the heat. Add some of the cold milk to the egg and sugar mix then slowly add the mot milk and cream. You have to do this carefully so you do not cook the eggs, add some colder mike and cram then the rest of the hot. Keep stirring until all the sugar has dissolved. 

Now pour this custard all over the bread let it cover every corner of the dish. Use your finger to press the bread down in to the custard and let it soak every thing up. To give it a proper chance let it stand for a quarter of and hour or more before you bake it.

Then in a preheat the oven set at 180c/350f and bake in the oven for 35 minutes, until the custard has set and the top is golden. If you like you can take it out of the oven just before it finishes baking and sprinkle some sugar on top to give it a really nice crust.

Then all you have to do is eat it hot , or have it cold , that is up to you.