Aunt Rosa’s British Bread Pudding
British bread pudding is different from bread and butter pudding, which is also a British creation. Read on to learn about what sets them apart.
My aunt Rosa made this bread pudding the last time I visited her. It seems like I was in Rye, England just a few weeks ago, so it’s hard to believe that it was actually almost a year ago.
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I wish I could spend weeks on end in Rye, as it is one of the loveliest towns in all of England. I’m being honest– it truly is! It has the perfect recipe for the most charming town with its cobblestoned streets and half-timbered houses set on a hilltop overlooking the sea. Rye’s flower displays look like they’re all competing for first place in a competition. Just take a look…
This town has a history of pirates, ghosts and famous authors. I stayed at the Mermaid Inn (on the right in the photo above, which is said to be haunted).
Another reason that I love Rye is because I am able to spend time with my cousins, my Aunt Rosa and Uncle Terry. You may remember Aunt Rosa as I told you how much of a green thumb she has and gave you the recipe for her incredibly delicious rhubarb fool? Well, she’s educated me about bread pudding now, which is not to be confused with bread and butter pudding.
The trouble is that in the US we call the bread and butter pudding kind of dessert, “bread pudding”, which makes it all quite confusing!
What is the Difference Between Bread Pudding and Bread and Butter Pudding?
I’ll try to explain the difference between the two a little more clearly, and when you see the recipe below, I think it will help make things clearer.
In the UK, bread and butter pudding refers to the dessert which is made with stale or toasted bread, usually raisins and then has a mixture of milk/cream/eggs/sugar poured over it and baked in an ovenproof bowl. This results in a lovely, almost soufflé-like dessert (like the Orange Chocolate dessert photo above). However, in the US, we usually refer to anything like this dessert as “bread pudding”.
So when my Aunt Rosa said she was making bread pudding, I assumed she was making the soufflé-like dessert, but she wasn’t. I should clarify, I make my bread and butter pudding so it’s light, and puffs up like a soufflé. I’ve seen and had others which are like a lead weight (not to my liking).
British bread pudding is a dense dessert, and more similar to a moist cake or slice which can be picked up by hand. See the first photo at the top of this page or the one directly below. Let’s get to this simple British bread pudding recipe (quantities are not critical) which allows you to turn any plain, stale bread into this delicious and unique dessert.
Aunt Rosa’s British Bread Pudding
recipe by my Aunt Rosa serves 12
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Butter a cookie sheet.
Soak the bread with water and squeeze the excess water out then place in a large mixing bowl (<- these are the ones Mrs. Patmore and Daisy used in Downton Abbey, and I love my Mason Cash bowls).
Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl, except for the white sugar (to sprinkle).
Stir well to mix all the ingredients together, until it’s evenly combined.
Spread the mixture onto the buttered tray and spread evenly. You can see the mushy consistency in this photo; if yours is too dry, you probably didn’t soak it enough (I made this mistake the first time).
Next, push the mixture down with a fork until it is as even as possible.
Bake in preheated 350° F(180°C) oven for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until it starts to turn golden brown (turn the tray around half way through baking). Sprinkle with sugar to finish.
When cool, cut the British bread pudding into slices or bars and serve, preferably with a piping hot cup of tea or coffee.
I made a batch using whole wheat bread. Same results, just darker color and different flavor; very good, but I do prefer the white bread version.
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Aunt Rosa's Bread Pudding, not to be Confused with Bread and Butter Pudding
A different sort of bread pudding that we're not used to in the US. Very tasty, and great for packed lunches and picnics!
Ingredients
- one 1.5 lb loaf of stale white, or whole wheat bread (about 16 slices) (2/3 kg)
- 1 to 2 tsp cinnamon
- approximately 200 g (1 1/2 cup) raisins
- 100 to 150 g (1/2 to 3/4 cup) brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 to 3 tbsp sherry
- 1 tablespoon of molasses or treacle (optional)
- about 85 g (1/3 cup) butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature
- white sugar for sprinkling on top, as desired
Instructions
- Butter a cookie sheet.
- Soak the bread with water and squeeze the excess water out then place in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl, except for the white sugar (to sprinkle). Stir well to mix all the ingredients together, until it's evenly combined.
- Spread the mixture onto the buttered tray and spread evenly. You can see the mushy consistency in this photo; if yours is too dry, you probably didn't soak it enough (I made this mistake the first time). Push down with a fork until the mixture is as even as possible.
- Bake in preheated 350° F(180°C) oven for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until it starts to turn golden brown (turn the tray around half way through baking). Sprinkle with sugar to finish.
- When cool, cut into slices or bars and serve, preferable with a piping hot cup of tea or coffee.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 315Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 225mgCarbohydrates: 71gFiber: 3gSugar: 56gProtein: 5g
Nutrition information is only estimated.
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I presume you baked this at 350F. I didn’t see a temperature in your recipe.
I actually have it in the body of the post, and in the printable recipe card, Sylvia: “Bake in preheated 350° F(180°C) oven for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until it starts to turn golden brown (turn the tray around half way through baking). Sprinkle with sugar to finish.”
Hello Christina. Just letting you know I have made this recipe twice now. The first time I saturated the bread and didn’t squeeze out enough water and it was too wet, even after extra baking. This time finger crossed – it’s in the oven as I write. I’m Australian and never encountered bread pudding until I was in the UK in the 1980s. I real treat for me was to go to a bakery on the corner of Oxford Street just near Marble Arch where they baked huge trays and sold big fat square slices for £1 – your photo brought back such clear memories for me. For years I looked for the recipe and never found it until I found your website. I agree with others – I remember the slices being dark in colour and large, deep squares with only a sprinkle of white sugar – like a poor man’s christmas pudding. Also, both times I’ve had to cook it longer than you say – an hour or more. It’s been a long wait but so happy to finally have this recipe. Thank you!
Hi Robin, I’m so happy to read this! How lovely it is to be able to recreate foods from our past experiences! I just think it’s one of the best things in life, especially when it brings back such fond memories. Thank you so much for letting me know, and I’m so happy you are enjoying bread pudding again!
I am British by birth living in the USA I grew up during the war and we didn’t have much but we weren’t hungry My mother’s bread pudding was wonderful She always used suet and it was thick, dark and heavy with lots of raisins and I loved it cold Does anyone have a recipe like this I would love to make it
Hi Jane, if my aunt’s recipe isn’t to your liking, I’d appreciate if you would ask for another recipe elsewhere. This is rather like walking into an Italian restaurant and asking the diners if they know where a good Italian restaurant is. I would guess that you mean no harm by asking, but I’d rather not have a link to another bread pudding recipe on my recipe. Hope you understand. CC
I have just the recipe you are looking for! Drop me an email, and I will send you my Mums!
Irene
I have been trying to recreate my great grandmother’s bread pudding for 25 years. No recipe I tried ever came close. Now I know she made British Bread Pudding, not American. Maybe a throwback to my families British heritage. Thank you.
Isn’t it great to figure out something after so many years! So happy for you, Michelle! Thanks for the note, it makes me happy!
I’m Welsh in Canada and have been looking for this one for ages. My Mum used to make it when I was little girl.
Thank you and your Auntie Rosa!
That’s great to hear, Barbara! I will let Aunt Rosa know! Thank you and enjoy!
My Nan always made this and I miss it. How do you know when the bread is stale enough though? Especially american bread with all the preservatives in it. It just seems to go from fresh to moldy with no in between!
Hi Andy, good questions! You can actually just leave the bread out to dry, so essentially, make it stale. The second question is more important: don’t buy bread that’s full of preservatives. It’s not only not good for you, but just can’t taste as good as a more natural bread. I dont’ know where you live, but just start by reading some labels. Choose the one with the least number of ingredients if you have to. I’m sure you’ll love the Bread Pudding, especially since it will remind you of your Nan! Enjoy, Andy, and let me know how you get on, CC
It doesn’t need to be that stale, just dry
Stale bread is dry bread. However, really dry bread is past “stale” to me.
I use my nanna’s recipe which is slightly different to this but make a big thick pudding. Instead of soaking the bread in water I soak it in milk, mush it all up and let it sit while I measure the other ingredients. I’ll put whatever dried fruit I have or just sultanas. Mixed spice a couple eggs and butter and muscavado. Bake it in a deep lasagne dish for about 1 hour on 150°c then top it with sugar and back in for 20m. It’s thick rich and nostalgic, I love how something as simple as bread pudding has so many different variations across the UK
Ooh, the milk sounds good! Yes, like so many other recipes, it has a common thread, but so many differences! :)
Hi Christina, i am English and have been looking for this recipe for ages, all other recipes are too rich .
I remember my mother making this and thought how horrible it looked squeezing the water out of the bread.
My sister and i have started to want to bake it now, and i have been looking on the internet for ages and have just come upon your blog, OH! The Joy of finally finding my mothers recipe after 40 odd years.
Thank your aunt Rosa so much for me Christina, and i will look forward to reading more of your travels and recipes.
Would you believe it’s my Aunt Rosa’s birthday today, Marianne? We just called her about an hour ago to wish her a happy birthday. I’ll send my cousin a message to pass along your message. Thanks so much for letting us know, it means a lot to me, too! :)
My Mum made this a lot, bbut she always used suet instead of margarine. Preferred browm(demerara sugar) and also added in several ounces of flour. This last, I guess, was to made the bake go further among we children, and remember too this was wartime baking, so we made the most of anythingat all that we cooked! But i still make it the same way.
I just put one n the oven
Lovely memories for you to bake up a tray of this, Barbara! The demerara sugar would be delicious in this, I must try it and the suet would be good, too! Thanks for the comment, it’s lovely to hear from someone who already knows about this bread pudding! :) CC