Home Cooking

Goodness it is ages since I have been on my cottage blog but I will try to add more now that spring is here!  

Home Cooking at the Cottage

Yesterday was so cold that I  really found myself thinking of classic warming puddings. I love cooking! I had some beautiful bread that was begging to be used so I made a  quick Bread and Butter Pudding. Time was short as I had a busy day ahead. However the minute I mentioned this  pudding to friends I was asked for the recipe.To be honest it is so easy to make!

 Bread and Butter Pudding

 Years ago this recipe was mainly for using left over bread. Stale  bread was often used which is why milk is added to soften it and make it more palatable. It was a  pudding that was cheap, filling and comforting on cold winter days. But today it is taking on a rather more elgant role as leading chefs add their own interpretations to make it more "posh"!

 Let's start with the basic ingredients

A few slices of bread

Butter

Sugar

A handful of Sultanas

Milk

Cinnamon or Nutmeg

Butter the bread, layer it in a bowl with the sugar and sultanas. I break the bread up into pieces using sliced white or even a broken up fresh baguette as seen in the photograph above.  Use as much butter as you wish remembering that it will be very rich if you use too much! When you layer add as many sultanas or as little as you like. I prefer to use only a handful interspersed at random through the layers. The amount of sugar to be used is  personal.Too much and the  pudding is too sweet,too little and it's boring in flavour. A few spoonfuls should be enough,one for each layer! Next I use two eggs and  beat them before adding half a pint of milk.  This mixture I pour over the ingredients in the bowl and leave it to stand for a few minutes before placing in the oven at 180. Sprinkle  the nutmeg or cinnamon  on top or  in the layers. Then I forget about it for about half an hour to forty five minutes by which time the kitchen starts smelling rather yummy.

The amount of cooking time and the amount of liquid you need varies depending on the size bowl you are using and amount of bread. It is so easy that you can't really go wrong!

You will know when it is cooked when the top if slightly golden and  the pudding seems almost set.Don't overcook it as there is something  extar yummy about eating a desert that is nicely soft and custardy! Even so the bread should be solid in the mix not mushy!

You can play with the basic recipe and  design a Bread and Butter Pudding of your own. Try  making it with croissants which is my favouriteversion! Add Baileys Irish Cream for a more decadent result, add lemon zest or orange peel. For youngsters as in adults who haven't grown up yet add choc chips in the layers or cocoa powder to the milk  and egg mix.

There are a million ways you can make your own interpretation!

Like my art my cooking is often unqiue without measuring. I just go  with my heart on what feels right and it somehow luckily works!

Have fun and enjoy!

Now who thought I had forgotten to share the recipe? Hands up!