This is often confused with bread and butter pudding but is in fact very different. It is an economical way of using up stale bread. It can be eaten hot with custard or cold, sprinkled with sugar and served in slices as a cake. It makes filling picnic food! Make the pudding in either a 1 pound loaf pan or a slab cake pan about 4 inch deep and about 8 x 6 inch.
ingredients
serves 8
8 slices white or brown stale bread
1 1/4 cups milk
3/4 pound mixed dried fruit
1/3 cup mixed candied peel
1 medium-sized tart apple, peeled, cored and grated
3 tablespoons soft brown sugar
3 tablespoons thick-cut orange marmalade
2 medium-sized eggs
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter or margarine
method
1. Cut the crusts off the bread and break it into small pieces. Place in a bowl, pour the milk over and leave for about 45 minutes, until the bread has absorbed all the milk.
2. When the bread is soft, add the dried fruit and grated apple to the bowl with the remaining ingredients, except the butter. Mix well.
3. Heat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Melt the butter and use a little to grease the mould lightly. Pour half the remainder into the bread mixture and mix together.
4. Turn the mixture into the mould and smooth the top with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Pour on the remaining butter. Leave for 5 minutes to allow it to soak into the mixture.
5. Bake in the centre of the oven for 1 1/2 hours. Increase the temperature to 180°C (350°F) and bake for a further 30 minutes. If the top of the pudding over-browns, cover with foil.
more information
Cooking time: 3 - 3 1/4 hours
