Image is for illustrative purposes only.
This is the custard “royal” that turns buttered bread into bread and butter pudding — a simple egg, sugar and milk mixture scented with vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. It is made with full cream milk powder and water rather than fresh milk, which gives you a richer, more concentrated milk than you can pour from a bottle and keeps the set firm and silky rather than watery.
Poured over slices of bread, brioche or leftover croissants and baked gently, it sets into a soft, just-wobbling custard with a lightly spiced, creamy flavour. The same mixture works for custard-soaked fruit bakes and for any pudding where you need a plain baked custard base, and it can be made ahead and kept in the fridge until you are ready to assemble.
Ingredients
The weights in the recipe table below will yield the following 'weight per unit' and 'number of units'. If you would like to change the recipe to cater to a different 'weight per unit' and/or 'number of units',
you can use the Recipe Calculator Tool below the ingredients table.
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Weight Per Unit: 1929
Number of Units: 1
Unit Size: 30 x 20 cm baking dish of bread and butter pudding
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WEIGHT
(grams)
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ALTERNATIVE METRIC
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INGREDIENT
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IMAGE
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CONDITION
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A
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480 |
9.6 Whole Eggs
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Whole Egg
Eggs are one of the most common ingredients in a typical cake. Egg yolks and whole eggs store significant amounts of protein and choline, and are widely used in baking. Usually an eggs role in a cake is to add moisture and richness, act as a raising agent as well as a glue to bind the ingredients together.
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lightly beaten |
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B
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240 |
8.4 ounces
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Sugar
Sugar is the generalized name for sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. They are carbohydrates, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. There are various types of sugar derived from different sources. Simple sugars are called monosaccharides and include glucose (also known as dextrose), fructose and galactose. The table or granulated sugar most customarily used as food is sucrose, a disaccharide. (In the body, sucrose hydrolyses into fructose and glucose.) Other disaccharides include maltose and lactose. Longer chains of sugars are called oligosaccharides. Chemically-different substances may also have a sweet taste, but are not classified as sugars. Some are used as lower-calorie food substitutes for sugar described as artificial sweeteners.
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C
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200 |
7 ounces
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Milk Powder
Powdered milk or dried milk is a manufactured dairy product made by evaporating milk to dryness. One purpose of drying milk is to preserve it; milk powder has a far longer shelf life than liquid milk and does not need to be refrigerated, due to its low moisture content. Another purpose is to reduce its bulk for economy of transportation. Powdered milk and dairy products include such items as dry whole milk, nonfat (skimmed) dry milk, dry buttermilk, dry whey products and dry dairy blends.
instant full cream
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D
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1000 |
4.2 cups
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Water
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lukewarm |
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E
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6 |
1.2 teaspoons
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Vanilla Essence
Vanilla Extract is made with 100% pure vanilla beans. With a sweet, syrupy consistency, this Vanilla is ideal for use in icings, drinks and whipped cream as well as classic baking recipes. Vanilla Essence is commercially manufactured by chemicals and is more of a watery consistency as opposed to vanilla extract which is thicker and a lot fuller and richer in flavour. You can replace one with the other but use 50% more of essence. For example, for 1 teaspoon of extract, use 1.5 teaspoons of essence.
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F
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2 |
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Cinnamon
Cinnamon (/ˈsɪnəmən/ sin-ə-mən) is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods. While Cinnamomum verum is sometimes considered to be "true cinnamon", most cinnamon in international commerce is derived from related species, which are also referred to as "cassia" to distinguish them from "true cinnamon".
ground
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G
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1 |
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Nutmeg
Nutmeg is the seed kernel of a tropical fruit, warm and sweetly fragrant when grated. Freshly grated nutmeg is far more aromatic than pre-ground, which loses its perfume quickly.
ground
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freshly grated if possible |
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1929
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Recipe Calculator Tool
Using this tool, you can alter this recipe for your own requirements. Use the two fields below to generate new weights for the ingredients above.
STEP 1. Enter your Custom Weight Per Unit
The 'Custom Weight Per Unit' is already loaded with the weight per unit for this recipe but can be changed if required. If all you wish to do is change the number of units (or servings), just leave the current weight per unit.
STEP 2. Enter your Custom Number of Units
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STEP 3. Click Calculate
The new weights for your adjusted recipe will be displayed in the table above.
Method
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STEP
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ACTION
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DETAIL
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CONDITION
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1 |
Prepare |
Butter the bread and arrange it in a greased baking dish, overlapping the slices, with any dried fruit or fruit you are using tucked between the layers. Set the dish aside while you make the custard. |
Dish no more than three quarters full so the custard has room |
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2 |
Mix |
Whisk C (milk powder) into D (lukewarm water) in a jug or bowl until it is completely dissolved. |
Smooth, rich milk with no lumps or dry powder floating on top |
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3 |
Whisk |
In a large bowl, whisk A and B (whole egg and caster sugar) together just until the sugar is dissolved. |
Combined and slightly pale, but not frothy — too much air makes a bubbly custard |
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4 |
Combine |
Pour the reconstituted milk into the egg mixture a little at a time, whisking gently, then stir in E, F and G (vanilla essence, cinnamon and nutmeg). |
Evenly mixed with the spices dispersed through the custard |
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5 |
Strain |
Pass the custard through a fine sieve into a jug and skim off any foam from the surface. |
Smooth and clean, no stringy egg or bubbles |
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6 |
Soak |
Pour the custard slowly over the prepared bread and leave it to stand for 15 to 20 minutes, pressing the bread down once or twice. |
Bread fully soaked and swollen, no dry corners |
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7 |
Pre-heat |
Pre-heat the oven to 160°C (320°F) and set the baking dish inside a larger roasting tray. Pour hot water into the tray to come halfway up the sides of the dish. |
Water bath steady and not boiling |
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8 |
Bake |
Bake for about 40 to 50 minutes, depending on the depth of the dish. Dust the top with a little extra cinnamon or nutmeg before baking if you like. |
Custard just set with a slight wobble in the centre and the top golden |
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9 |
Cool |
Lift the dish out of the water bath and rest it for at least 15 minutes before serving. |
Custard firmed up as it settles; serve warm or cold |
Important Notes
This quantity makes roughly 1,930 g of custard mix, enough to soak and bake one large 30 x 20 cm dish of bread and butter pudding, or two smaller dishes. The milk powder and water are simply a rich reconstituted milk — if you prefer, you can replace both with the same total weight of full cream milk, though the set will be a little softer. Gentle heat and a water bath are the key: if the oven is too hot the egg curdles and the custard weeps. The unbaked custard mix keeps covered in the fridge for up to two days; stir well before using. Baked pudding keeps refrigerated for up to three days and can be warmed through before serving.
Tools & Arrangements
Large mixing bowl, whisk, measuring jug, fine sieve, kitchen scales, baking dish about 30 x 20 cm, a larger roasting tray for the water bath, pastry brush or knife for buttering the bread.
