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 origins back to the early 11th and 12th centuries, when resourceful cooks found creative ways to use stale, leftover bread rather than let it go to waste.

In 13th-century England, bread pudding was called "poor man’s pudding" because it was a common favourite among the lower classes.

Bread pudding

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

If you've never tried bread pudding 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 come a long way since the 1940s, and now we can use milk instead of 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 to avoid a dry bread pudding.

Can you freeze bread pudding?

I know people who have frozen it after it’s completely cooled. I’ve never done it myself, so I can’t really give advice.

But here’s my question: Why freeze it? It’s so delicious that we never have any leftovers anyway!

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.

Let the prepared bread soak in the milk for around 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 it’s done cooking, a skewer should slide in easily and come 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, english bread pudding, 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 allspice), as that is completely 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. Remove the crust from the bread and cut it into small cubes. Place them in a large mixing bowl, pour the milk over, and give it a quick stir before letting it soak for about 30 minutes. Soaking the bread is a must.
2. After 30 minutes, use your hands to squish the milk-soaked bread between your fingers until all the large lumps are gone.
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 around the 50-minute mark, as you might need to cover it with kitchen foil if it begins to brown excessively.
7. Once cooked, a skewer inserted should come out clean. Let it cool in the tin before transferring it to 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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