Bread and Butter Pudding

Using stale bread

Bread and butter pudding originated as a frugal use of stale bread — a British household staple for centuries. Day-old bread, buttered and layered in a dish, is soaked in a sweetened egg custard until softened, then baked until the custard sets and the bread surfaces caramelise and crisp. The transformation of humble bread into a rich, golden dessert is satisfying both economically and gastronomically.

The custard soak

The custard is a simple mixture of eggs, milk or cream, sugar, and vanilla — beaten together and poured over the bread, which should be left to soak for at least 30 minutes (or overnight in the fridge). The soaking allows the bread to absorb the custard evenly. Using cream rather than milk produces a richer, more indulgent result; the classic version uses a mixture of the two.

Restaurant reinvention

In the 1990s, British restaurants began elevating bread and butter pudding using brioche, croissants, and panettone in place of ordinary white bread — producing an exceptionally luxurious version in which the buttery, enriched bread absorbs the custard and creates a much richer result. The “brioche bread and butter pudding” became a restaurant classic and helped rehabilitate the dish from its reputation as nursery food.

The golden top

The surface of the pudding is sprinkled with demerara or caster sugar before baking; this caramelises under the oven heat, forming a golden, slightly crunchy crust that contrasts with the soft custard below. The nutmeg dusted on top adds a warm, aromatic note that is inseparable from the pudding’s character.