Traditional Bread Pudding Recipe

Old Fashioned Bread Pudding

First up, bread pudding is nothing like bread and butter pudding. 

Food of the 1940s - bread pudding is quite dense and stodgy, so it's quite different and is often served cold with a cuppa.

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Popular during wartime 1940s because it was cheap to make and one slice is quite filling. It's a great way of using up stale bread.

Source: wiki 

Food historians trace the history of bread pudding 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 bread pudding 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 had bread pudding you haven't lived, and have certainly been missing out!

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

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

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

What is the best bread to make bread pudding?

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

Can you freeze it?

I know people that have frozen it once it's completely cold. I've never tried so I can't comment but my thinking is why would you want to freeze it?

It's so delicious, that we never have any leftovers to freeze!

What's one of your favourite foods you remember from when you were a kid?

Let me know by leaving a comment below.

There are relatively few ingredients 

Ingredients

• stale loaf of bread

• milk

• egg 

• soft brown sugar

• mixed fruit

• ground cinnamon

• nutmeg

• mixed spice

• butter

Equipment

• a non-stick 9 inches square baking dish  

• digital kitchen scales

• a mixing bowl

Do let me know if you make it!

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

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

snack, dessert

English

Yield: 12

Author: Jan Bennett

Traditional 1940s Bread Pudding Recipe

Make this and your kitchen will smell amazing! There's nothing fancy about bread pudding and certainly, no cooking skills are needed.

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

Ingredients

• 400g stale loaf of bread
• 285ml pint of milk
• 1 egg - free range of course
• 60g of soft brown sugar
• 340g mixed fruit
• 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons mixed spice
• 115g melted butter

Instructions

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

1. Cut the crusts off of the bread and cut into small cubes and tip it into a mixing bowl.
2. Heat the milk till almost boiling and pour it over the bread and leave it to soak for about 30 minutes; be sure to soak it otherwise the recipe will not work.
3. Using your hands squish the bread between your fingers so there are no lumps. Now beat in the egg.
4. Add all the remaining ingredients except the butter.
5. Mix well then beat in the butter.
6. Pour into a greased 22cm (9 inches) square tin and bake for 1 to 1¼ hours or springy to the touch. You should be able to insert a skewer and it comes out clean. You might want to line your baking tray with greaseproof paper.
7. Leave in the tin to cool a bit before turning out onto a wire rack.
8. Sprinkle a little sugar over the top and eat either hot or cold.

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