Wyn's Bread Pudding

My late mother made legendary bread pudding.   It is a great way to use up leftover bread, when you get to the end of the loaf and it's gone a bit dry, this is what to do with it.

People would talk about 'Wyn's Bread Pudding' in hushed tones.  My father called it 'ballast' - which is not as rude as it sounds.  One piece can keep you going for many hours!  :) 

If you have never had it before, it's like a cross between pudding and cake - you slice it into pieces.  I like it hot straight from the oven, fruity, spicy, gorgeous with a nice cup of builder's tea.  Some people like it cold, with cream.  Some with custard.  Whatever floats your boat!

My mum never worked from recipes, she just fecked in some of this and some of that, and it always came out the same.  I need instructions, however!  So, I have spent some time tinkering with this, and now think I have the PERFECT bread pudding recipe.  But feel free to mess with it yourself  It does stand abuse, as my brothers will testify!

Serves: 4/6

Ingredients:
8oz/225g slices brown or white bread, roughly torn into about 1" pieces.
10 fl oz / 275 ml milk
2 oz / 50g melted butter plus extra for greasing.
3 oz / 75g soft brown sugar
2 generous teaspoons mixed spice
1 beaten egg
50g glace cherries
125g of currants, raisins and sultanas (or any combo of them - I like equal quantities of each, but just make sure that together with the cherries you have 175g or 6oz in total.  It's not a disaster)
Grated rind of one large orange
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg


METHOD:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C, Gas 4, 350F.

Tear up the bread into a large bowl, and pour over the milk. 
Stir, cover with a teacloth and leave for 30 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients. 

Grease a pyrex dish - 3" shallow and about 2 pints is ideal.

After 30 minutes, beat the egg, butter, sugar and spices into the bread mixture with a fork, making sure that it is nice and smooth in consistency. 

Stir in the fruit and grated orange rind.

Spread evenly in the pyrex dish and sprinkle with nutmeg.

Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven, sprinkle with a little extra sugar, and leave to cool. 

When still warm, cut into 2" squares. 

Store in an airtight tin.