Traditional Bread Pudding Recipe

This old-fashioned bread pudding recipe was very popular in wartime 1940s England because it was cheap to make, and just one slice is very filling.

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Best served while still warm with a cuppa, it's a great way to use leftover bread.

By the way, this is nothing like bread and butter pudding!

It is quite dense and stodgy, making it proper comfort food and a great way to use up stale bread. It can be eaten hot or cold.

Source: wiki 

Food historians trace the history back to the early 11th and 12th centuries, as frugal cooks looked for ways to use stale, leftover bread instead of letting it go to waste.

In 13th-century England, bread pudding was known as 'poor man’s pudding,' as it was a popular dish with the lower classes.

I hadn't had it for years, until a couple of weeks ago when I made Bacon and Onion Roly Poly Pudding got me thinking about the food we had when I was a kid.

If you've never tried it before, you haven't lived and have been missing out! 😉

My nan used to make it and, of course, so did my mum. I'm not one for cakes or puddings, but this is a glorious thing.

Thankfully, things have changed since the 1940s, and so now we can use milk rather than water!

Hot or cold, this is good stuff! 😋 Proper old-fashioned food. Oh, and when it's cooking, your kitchen will smell amazing.

Nothing fancy about it, and certainly, no cooking skills are needed.

What's the best bread to use?

Any regular crusty loaf, such as a bloomer (not the pre-sliced sandwich stuff), but it's important that it's 2 or 3 days old.

Why do we need to cut the crust off the bread and soak it in milk?

If you don't the finished bread pudding will have hardish lumps.

The bread also needs to be soaked in milk so avoid a dry bread pudding.

Can you freeze bread pudding?

I know people who have frozen it once it's completely cold. I've never tried to freeze it, so I can't really advise. 

But why would you want to freeze it? It's so delicious that we never have any leftovers to freeze!

Ingredients

• 1 x 600g stale loaf - you need 400g after the crust is removed

• 380ml of milk

• 1 large egg - free-range, of course

• 60g of soft dark brown sugar

• 350g dried mixed fruit

• 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

• 2 tablespoons mixed spice (not All Spice), as the two are completely different       

• 120g unsalted butter - melted

• caster sugar - for sprinkling over the top when it comes out of the oven

Let's find out how to make it!

Gather and prepare the ingredients.

Full instructions are in the printable recipe card below.

Cut the crusts off and cut into small cubes, and tip into a large mixing bowl.

Soak the prepared bread in the milk and leave it to soak for about 30 minutes.

Add all the remaining ingredients.

Use a wooden spoon to mix it together.

Line a 22cm (9 inches) square tin with greaseproof paper (baking/parchment) and pour in the mixture.

Bake in your preheated oven for about 1 to 1¼ hours.

Keep an eye on it and check, as it may need to be covered with kitchen foil if it starts to brown too much.

When cooked, you should be able to insert a skewer that comes out clean.

Sprinkle a little caster sugar over the top and eat either warm or cold.

Best served warm with a cuppa (a cup of tea)! 😋

Equipment

• a non-stick 9-inch square baking dish  

• digital kitchen scales

• a mixing bowl

• a wooden spoon (don't use a hand mixer for bread pudding) 

• a wire rack for cooling when cooked

Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card below!

traditional bread pudding recipe, old fashioned bread pudding, bread pudding recipe, 1940s bread pudding,

snack,

English

Yield: 9

Author: Jan Bennett

Traditional Bread Pudding Recipe

Make this, and your kitchen will smell amazing. Serve with a nice cuppa!

Prep time: 35 MinCook time: 1 H & 15 MInactive time: 25 MinTotal time: 2 H & 15 M

Ingredients

• 1 x 600g stale loaf of bread - you need 400g after the crust is removed
• 380ml of milk
• 1 large egg - free-range, of course
• 60g of soft dark brown sugar
• 350g dried mixed fruit
• 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons mixed spice (not All spice) as they are different
• 120g unsalted butter - melted
• caster sugar - for sprinkling over the top when it comes out of the oven

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C fan or 350°F or Gas 4

1. Cut the crust off the bread and cut it into small cubes, and tip it into a large mixing bowl. Pour the milk over the bread and give it a quick mix before leaving it to soak for about 30 minutes - don't skip soaking the bread!
2. After 30 minutes, using your hands, squish the milk-soaked bread between your fingers until there are no big lumps.
3. Add all the remaining ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon.
4. Line a 22cm (9 inches) square tin with greaseproof paper (baking/parchment) and pour in the mixture.
5. Bake in your preheated oven for about 1 to 1¼ hours.
6. Keep an eye on it and check it at about 50 minutes, as it may need covering with kitchen foil if it starts to brown too much.
7. When cooked, you should be able to insert a skewer that comes out clean. Leave in the tin to cool before turning it out onto a wire rack.
8. Sprinkle a little caster sugar over the top and eat either warm or cold. I say it's best served warm with a cup of tea!

Notes

• You can use a loose-bottomed baking tin, but you must line it with greaseproof (baking paper) so it comes up the sides a bit, or you might have a leak!
• Your hands and a wooden spoon are best when mixing bread pudding; don't use a hand mixer.
• Be sure to use mixed spice and not All spice, as they are different.

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