Tag Archives: bread

Mum’s Bread Pudding

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When I was growing up in England, my mother usually had a freshly-baked cake waiting for us when we arrived home from school.   Sometimes it was a butter cake, baked in a slab tin then iced with white icing and cut into rectangles with a glace cherry on each piece.  Sometimes it was drop scones (pikelets), which we ate with butter and golden syrup.  One of my favourites was bread pudding – quite different to bread and butter pudding, which uses cream and eggs and is served as a dessert.  Although it’s called a pudding, we ate it as a cake, still warm from the oven.  It’s an old recipe from World War 2, when nothing was wasted and many things, including eggs, were rationed.  For a modern twist use chocolate chips instead of the dried fruit or a combination of the two.

Mum’s Bread Pudding

9-10 slices stale bread
125g mixed dried fruit
1 Tbs mixed peel (optional)
1 egg
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 tsp mixed spice
2 heaped Tbs softened butter
2-3 Tbs white sugar

Soak bread in cold water for half an hour. Squeeze bread to expel as much water as possible, then beat with a fork to remove lumps. Mix all ingredients together and spread into a shallow baking tin about 20x30cm in size, lined with baking paper.  Bake at 180°C for a good hour or until nicely browned. Sprinkle liberally with white sugar, cut into squares and serve warm.

Jacqueline’s Bread

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When we were living in South Africa in the late 80s, just before Mandela was released, we became friends with Johan van Heerden and his French wife Jacqueline.  Johan continues to be one of South Africa’s leading sculptors.

One Sunday they invited us for lunch and Jacqueline had made a delicious bread which she served with home made pâté.  When I asked for the recipe, she said it was too embarrassing to give it to me, because it was SO easy!  I told her it was just the kind of recipe I like – something which looks and tastes fantastic, but takes less than five minutes to make.

The basic recipe is just buttermilk, self-raising flour and salt, but you can add anything which takes your fancy to make it more interesting.  It’s best eaten the same day.

Jacqueline’s Bread

500g self raising flour, sifted
600 ml buttermilk
1 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients. Put 2-3 Tbs water into the packet and shake  to remove any remaining buttermilk stuck to the sides and add this to the mixture. Mixture should be like a stiff scone mixture.  Add any extra ingredients – see below.

Spoon roughly into a greased metal ring mold or a loaf tin for 45 mins at 180°C – don’t smooth it over. A ring mold is best because you get more crunchy edges. Eat the same day or freeze. Delicious toasted.

Don’t be tempted to take it out too early – it may look cooked on the outside but might still be raw in the middle.  If after 45 mins you’re not sure, stick a toothpick in the middle and check that it comes out clean.

Variations:

  • use wholemeal self raising flour instead of white or half and half
  • add 1 Tbs honey or sugar and some dried fruit and/or nuts
  • add 2 Tbs olive oil, chopped herbs and crushed garlic
  • add chopped sun-dried tomatoes or olives and grated Parmesan
  • sprinkle the top with sesame seeds or pumpkin seeds
  • add some porridge oats or bran or poppy seeds