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fried hot cross bun bread & butter pudding
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Fried Hot Cross Bun Bread & Butter Pudding

This recipe makes crisp & fluffy slices of fried hot cross bun bread & butter pudding! A twist on a classic & best served with homemade custard.
Prep Time1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time2 hours 15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: English
Servings: 8 Portions
Author: Ben Racey

Equipment

  • 2lb Loaf Tin
  • Roasting Tin
  • Medium Saucepan
  • Mixing Bowl
  • Sieve
  • Jug
  • Frying Pan

Ingredients

Soaked Fruit

  • 100 g Sultanas
  • 200 g Black Tea

Custard

  • 200 g Whole Milk
  • 250 g Double Cream
  • 100 g Light Brown Sugar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Paste
  • A Pinch Of Salt
  • 3 Egg Yolks
  • 1 Large Egg

To Assemble

  • 6 Hot Cross Buns
  • 50 g Butter Softened
  • Demerara Sugar To Sprinkle On Top

To Fry

  • Vegetable Oil
  • Butter

To Serve

  • Vanilla Custard Or Ice Cream

Instructions

Soaked Fruit

  • First, place the sultanas into a bowl then pour over 200ml of hot, black tea. Set aside & leave to soak for at least 30 minutes. Once soaked, drain the fruit & discard the liquid.

Custard

  • Place the milk, cream, sugar, vanilla & salt into a medium sized saucepan then set over a low heat & leave to get steaming hot, stirring occasionally.
    Don't let the milk boil!
  • Next, place the egg yolks & the whole egg into a mixing bowl then whisk together.
  • Once your milk is hot, gradually pour it into the eggs, whisking constantly as you do so.
  • Pass the custard into a jug, through a sieve then set aside.

Assembly

  • Cut each hot cross bun into 2 cm thick slices then spread a good amount of butter onto one side.
  • Grease & line a 2 lb loaf tin with baking parchment.
  • Next, place a third of the hot cross buns into the tin (butter side up), overlapping the slices if necessary. Sprinkle half the sultanas over the hot cross buns then pour over enough custard to completely cover the buns.
  • Repeat the previous step to make the second layer.
  • To finish, place the remaining hot cross bun slices on top then pour over the remaining custard. Leave to soak for an hour.
    If the custard starts to overflow, let the pudding soak for 15 minutes before adding in more.
  • Preheat an oven to 160°c/140°c fan (320°f/284°f).
  • Sprinkle a generous amount of demerara sugar over the top of the pudding then place the loaf tin into a small roasting tin. Fill the roasting tin half full with boiling water then place the pudding in the oven.
  • Bake until the internal temperature of the pudding reaches 75°c/167°f. This will take 40 minutes - 1 hour. Check the pudding after 40 minutes & if the top is browning too much, loosely cover it in foil.
  • Once cooked, take the pudding out of the oven & leave to cool to room temperature (still in the water). Then once cool, take the tin out of the water & refrigerate the pudding for at least 4 hours.

To Serve

  • Take the set pudding out of the tin then cut into thick slices.
  • Place a frying pan over a medium heat then add in a small amount of veg oil & a knob of butter. Once hot, add in a slice or two of pudding (don't overcrowd the pan!) then cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.
    Repeat with the remaining slices then serve with warm custard or scoops of ice cream.

Notes

1. Cooking On An Aga - Warm the milk for the custard on the simmering plate. Cook the bread & butter pudding in the baking oven, on the bottom set of runners.
2. Hot Cross Buns - For this recipe, I used 6 of my tangzhong hot cross buns. If you use shop bought buns, you might need to use a couple more.
3. Soaking The Fruit - To soak the sultanas, you'll need 200ml of hot, black tea. I used Yorkshire tea but feel free to use whatever tea you like. You'll only need 1 tea bag.
4. Storage - Once cooked, this pudding will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge.