Mary Berrys Bread Pudding Recipes

BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Tear 500g white or wholemeal bread into a large mixing bowl and add 500g mixed dried fruit, 85g mixed peel and 1 ½ tbsp mixed spice.
• Pour in 600ml milk, then stir or scrunch through your fingers to mix everything well and completely break up the bread.
• Add 2 beaten large eggs, 140g light muscovado sugar and zest of 1 lemon, if using. Stir well, then set aside for 15 mins to soak.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and line the base of a 20cm non-stick square cake tin (not one with a loose base).
• Stir the melted butter into the pudding mixture, tip into the tin, then scatter with demerara.
• Bake for 1½ hrs until firm and golden, covering with foil if it starts to brown too much. Turn out of the tin and strip off the paper. Cut into squares and serve warm.

MARY BERRY'S BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING

Steps:

• You will need an ovenproof dish about 2½-3 pint/1.4-1.7 litres volume (18 x 23 x 5 cm/7 x 9 x 2 in).
• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and use some of the melted butter to grease the dish.
• Combine the dried fruit, sugar, lemon zest and spice together in a bowl and toss to mix well.
• Cut each bread slice into three strips. Take sufficient slices to cover the base of the dish and dip one side of each one in melted butter. Lay them in the dish, buttered-side down. Sprinkle with half the dried fruit mixture. Repeat the layering, laying the bread strips buttered-side up. Lay the third and final layer of bread strips on top, buttered-side up.
• For the custard, beat together the eggs, cream and milk in a bowl and pour it over the pudding. Sprinkle with demerara sugar, and then leave to stand for about one hour if time allows.
• Bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until the top is golden-brown and crisp and the pudding slightly puffed up. Serve hot, or there are some who insist that it is delicious cold!

MUM'S BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• soak the bread in the milk for 30mins/1 hr.
• squeeze out the bread
• mix all the other ingredients with the sloppy bread leaving the flour til last, add just enough to help bind it all
• lightly butter a roasting tin. Put the mixture in and smooth it down, then run a fork over it and sprinkle it with a little sugar
• bake in the oven fan 140 for an hour or so till browning on top. Don't overcook it or it'll dry it out. Enjoy hot or cold.

GARY RHODES'S BREAD & BUTTER PUDDING

Steps:

• Grease a 1.7 (3pint) litre pudding basin with butter.
• First make the custard:.
• Whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar. Split the vanilla pod and place in a pan with the milk and cream. Bring the milk and cream to the simmer, then sieve onto the egg yolks, stirring all the time.
• Then:.
• Arrange the bread in layers in the prepared basin, sprinkling the sultanas and raisins in between layers. Finish with a final layer of bread without any fruit on top as this tends to burn. The warm egg mixture may now be poured over the bread and cooked straightaway or pour the custard over the pudding then leave it to soak for 20 minutes before cooking as it allows the bread to take on a new texture and have the flavours all the way through. So says Gary.
• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas4.
• Put the dish in roasting tray three-quarters filled with warm water and place in the oven. Cook for about 20-30 minutes until it begins to set. We're not aiming for a thick custard here - says Gary.
• When ready, remove from the water bath, sprinkle liberally with caster sugar to cover and glaze under the grill on medium heat, until the sugar dissolves and caramelizes.