Bread
pudding has the most plebeian of origins, but is considered to be a favourite
comfort food for many people. It is said
that the humble bread pudding originated in the early 11th and 12th
centuries, as people looked for frugal means of using stale, leftover bread
instead of letting it go to waste. It
was known as ‘the poor man’s pudding’ as it was popular with the lower classes.
Today
you can often find this dish on the menus of some of the trendiest
restaurants. The dish is very versatile
as you can add different ingredients to suit your taste.
Recipe: Bread Pudding
Pudding:
200g bread slices with the crust cut off (10 normal bread slices usually does the trick)
750ml milk
120g sugar
2 eggs beaten
5ml vanilla essence
Syrup:
125g sugar
2 eggs beaten
5 ml vanilla
Mix ingredients
Method:
With butter, grease a dish that can contain a volume of 2 litres. Heat your oven to 180 °c.
Heat the milk until it boils. Place the bread into the milk and let it soak through. Add the sugar and mix well into the bread mixture, stirring the ingredients together. Allow it to cool down a bit because when you add the egg it may end up scrambled ;). Add the egg and the vanilla. Mix well and pour the contents into your dish. Bake uncovered for 30-45 min depending on your oven's capacity. I left mine for 45 mins. Check to see that the pudding is set.
While it is still hot, pour the syrup over and bake for a further 15 mins. Serve immediately from the oven.
I served mine with a custard but the syrup is enough to serve on its own as a topping. I could feed 8 adults comfortably with leftovers on this recipe. Its soft texture and taste reminded me of melkkos...another traditional Boere recipe for chilly winter evenings!
Tastes more-ish!
Deidre:
I had a fruit basket full of almost overripe bananas at home, and when faced
with the idea of putting a spin on the bread pudding, my first thought was of
baking a banana bread and using that for the pudding. It was delicious!! It takes longer than baking your normal bread
pudding with store bought bread, but it is definitely worth the effort.
Find
a good banana bread recipe, maybe one that you regularly bake, or you can use
mine below:
Banana
Bread
100
g butter at room temperature
175
g castor sugar
2
large eggs
5
ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence
225
g self raising flour
2,5
mg (1/2 tsp) cinnamon
30
ml (2 tbsp) buttermilk ( I used plain yoghurt as I forgot to buy the
buttermilk)
3
ripe bananas, mashed
100
g pecan nuts
Pre-heat
your oven to 180 °C. Grease a bread pan.
Using
an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
Add
the eggs and vanilla essence and mix well
Sift
all the dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture
Add
the buttermilk and mix well
Add
the mashed bananas and stir into the mixture
Pour
the mixture into the prepared bread pan.
Bake
the bread for 55 minutes on the middle rack of your oven. ( I found that 55 minutes was too long – test
after 40 minutes)
Bread
pudding
200g banana bread slices
750 ml milk
120 g sugar
2 eggs beaten
5ml vanilla essence
750 ml milk
120 g sugar
2 eggs beaten
5ml vanilla essence
Syrup:
125 g sugar
2 eggs beaten
5 ml vanilla
Mix ingredients
2 eggs beaten
5 ml vanilla
Mix ingredients
Method:
Grease an ovenproof dish. Pre-heat your oven to
180 °c.
Heat the milk until just before boiling point.
Heat the milk until just before boiling point.
Soak the bread in the milk and let it soak through.
Add the sugar and mix well into the bread mixture,
stirring the ingredients together.
Allow it to cool down.
Add the egg and the vanilla.
Mix well and pour the mixture into your prepared dish.
Bake uncovered for 30-45 min
Check to see that the pudding is set.
While the pudding is still hot, pour the syrup over and bake for a further 15 mins.
While the pudding is still hot, pour the syrup over and bake for a further 15 mins.
Serve immediately from the oven.
Tips
and hints:
·
The banana’s don’t need to be over
ripe, just as long as the peels aren’t green;
·
It is characteristic of the top of banana
bread to crack – don’t panic;
·
Ensure that you allow the bread and
milk of the bread pudding to cool down – otherwise the egg will scramble when
you add it to the hot mixture.
·
We found that the pudding was
delicious served hot or cold – it’s up to you.