Health & Medical / Sunday, May/12/2024 / 9

Posh Ginger and Pear Bread and Butter Pud

If there is one great British pudding guaranteed to bring a smile is a bread and butter pudding. It is so, so easy to make, cheap as it is an ideal way to use up old bread and even pastries such as croissants and brioche. And, if that is not enough, it is incredibly versatile; it sits well with so many added ingredients - such as dried fruits and spices - to pep it up. Pretty good work from one simple pudding.

In this recipe the humble pud meets lovely, sticky crystallised ginger and dried pears. Both these are easy to get hold of and many supermarkets now stock dried pears in handy snack packs. If you simply cant get hold of the dried, then do not despair; use a peeled, ripe pear cut into bite-sized chunks.

See Also

Easy Bread and Butter Pudding Recipe

Queen of Puddings Recipe

Sticky Toffee Pudding Recipe

Ingredients

25g / 1 oz softened butter
450g / 1 lb thick, white bread
475ml / 1 pint semi skimmed milk
2 large free-range eggs, lightly beaten
200g / ½ lb soft brown sugar
250g / soft dried pears, roughly chopped
450g / 1lb golden sultanas
55g 2 oz crystallised ginger in syrup, chopped
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp Demerara sugar

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 80 minutes
Yield: Serves 4

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 180° C/ 375 ° F/ Gas 5

Grease a 20cm / 8” ovenproof dish.

Lightly butter each slice of bread, then either you can cut eat slice of bread into equal triangles or tear them roughly into chunks (this depends on how you want the final pudding to look, the one in the picture you will see is torn bread) .

In to a separate bowl, lightly beat the milk, eggs and brown sugar together.

Place a layer of the bread triangles or chunks in your greased dish.

Sprinkle with the dried pear, golden sultanas and a little sprinkles of the ginger.

Repeat this step until all the bread, fruits and ginger are used up. Finally, sprinkle the top layer with the Demerara sugar and if you have any ginger syrup left, pour this over too - this will create a sticky, caramelised crust - delicious.

Cook the pudding in the centre of the preheated oven for 45 minutes. After this time, check to see if the the pudding is firm and set, if so remove from the oven. If not, cook for another 5 – 10 minutes as needed. Be careful not to burn the top, if it is cooking too fast cover with a little aluminum foil.

Cool the pudding slightly before serving. The pear and ginger pud is delicious served with a little crème fraiche. The pud is also perfect cold. It cuts neatly into squares, so is perfect for a lunch box treat.