Bread and Butter Pudding

I have decided to slowly come out of my comfort zone and try out some dessert recipes (A fear comes when it comes to making desserts, specially the International ones), as desserts are the most delicate treat that rounds off your meal in a great way. But I thought, without trying, one can never expertise in any field. So here goes my first dessert recipe, which I thought was the easiest yet delicate. To boost me up, my husband (Arun) helped me in my preparations and he did almost half the job. You will know why if you see the simple steps of this recipe. ;) So there's a little spread of love too in this recipe! :)

"Bread and Butter Pudding" is an age old traditional dessert of England, where layers of buttered bread are arranged in a pie dish and raisins/sultanas & nutmeg powder are sprinkled over it, finally poured with an egg & milk mixture and then baked in oven. This pudding can be served with a separate bowl of custard or can be eaten as it is as it will be anyway moist.

Ingredients:

• 8 slices of bread
• butter (For generously spreading on the bread & greasing your baking dish)
• 2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp nutmeg Powder
• 2 Eggs
• 350 ml Milk
• 3/4 cup of caster sugar
• 50 ml double cream
• 50 gm Sultanas (or raisins)

Method:

1. Slice off the crusts of the bread and spread each slice with on one side butter. (Like how we normally spread for our sandwiches). Now cut each slice into triangles.
2. Grease your baking tray with some butter and arrange the triangular slices (buttered side up) into a layer, in the tray.
3. Now sprinkle on some cinnamon powder, some sugar and sultanas onto the arranged bread and if you want, layer it with more slices, sprinkle more cinnamon and sultanas until you have finished with all your bread.
4. In a saucepan, warm the milk and cream together on a low heat. Do not let it boil. In a separate bowl, break the eggs, add the sugar and whisk lightly.
5. Add the milk into the whisked eggs and stir gently. Now strain this custard to remove all lumps and granules and gently pour it over the arranged layers of bread.
6. Sprinkle some nutmeg on top of the custard and 1 tsp of sugar and leave it to stand for 30 min.
7. Preheat your oven to 180° Celsius/gas 4. Place your Baking dish in oven and bake the pudding for 30 min or until the pudding is set and the top is golden.

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• Tip:- One of my aunt (Usha) suggested that, in case one has not got any oven at home, they can toast the bread slightly with butter and then pour some hot milk (sugar dissolved in it) and microwave it for 10 min.

• - Few of us won' like these kind of puddings, cos its just bread, butter, milk and its gooey inside

• - In this recipe, you will see I have put only one layer of bread slices, you can increase it to 2 or 3 layers if you like. Also can add more custard for that gooey texture.

• - Its up to you as how much sugar you want to add to your each & every dessert as its "your" tooth which has to be sweetly satisfied. :)