Bread and Butter Pudding
Yet another British classic. Take note! I cannot stand bumbling, faffing fools that make this sweet at a snail's pace! I even catch 40 year old chefs making this simple error, yet each time I catch it happening it drives me nuts! Grrrr.....
Do not (and most definitely do not do this if you are producing a large amount of bread and butter pudding) wipe soft butter onto each individual piece of bread with a knife. If I catch you doing this I'll rough you up for wasting time. Melt the butter and pour it over the bread, its so much quicker. Saving time is crucial in a kitchen, the more time you save on petty tasks means you'll have more time for important issues and improving the quality of your dishes.
Don't let me catch you faffing around!

Remember that this sweet can be made with all manner of breads and pastry (brioche, croissant, baguettes) not just regular and boring sliced, white bread

Serve with custard or ice cream

Serves 4

Ingredients
340g / 12oz bread
55g / 2oz butter / margarine
4 Tblsp mixed dried fruit (raisins, mixed peel etc)
1 Tblsp brown sugar
1 Tblsp caster sugar
3 eggs
290ml / 1/2 pint milk
1/2 lemon, juice and zest of
1 Tsp vanilla essence
1/8 Tsp cinnamon

Mise-en-Place:
Preheat the oven to gas mark 4 / 180°C / 350°F
Grease a roasting tray or if cooking individually, grease ramekins with a little melted butter
Weigh all the ingredients
Slice the bread
Melt the butter
Juice and zest the lemon

Method:
Arrange layers of bread and dried fruit into the roasting tray. Spread a little of the melted butter over each layer
Quickly whisk the eggs with the sugars, then mix in the milk. Add the cinnamon, vanilla and lemon
Pour this custard mix over the bread and butter pudding
Leave the pudding to swell and 'sponge' for 20 - 30 minutes
If the custard mix doesn't completely cover the bread do not worry. Every 10 minutes firmly push down upon the bread so that it comes into contact with the liquids. As the pudding 'sponges' the liquids will distribute evenly
Sprinkle a little brown sugar over the pudding prior to baking to encourage colours and flavours
Bake for 35 - 45 minutes (15-20 if doing individual puddings)
To test if the pudding is ready give the roasting tray a shake. The pudding should wobble only slightly, it should be moist but not overly wet.
Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes before serving

Where you went wrong:
Pudding dry and crispy: Not enough custard mix / oven temperature too high
Pudding too moist and wet: Pudding not cooked for long enough / not enough egg added / oven temp not high enough
Pudding tastes savoury: Not enough sugar or vanilla

Presentation:
Either cut the cake into rectangles or use a circular cutter or mould to portion the pudding
Flood the plate with a little custard, place the pudding off-centre on the plate
Serve

Chef Tip: For a smoother pudding place the roasting tray or ramekins into a 'bain-marie'. This is a water bath that keeps the pudding baking in a moist and temperate environment. To make a 'bain-marie' fill a larger roasting tray a third-full with water, place the pudding tray or ramekin into this larger water-laden tray then bake as normal

Science behind the dish:
As the pudding bakes the liquids in the custard mix begin to evaporate into a bubbles of gas. These gas bubbles swell with the heat causing the pudding to rise. The starch globules swell and together with the egg proteins trap the gas bubbles in the pudding forming a pudding that is light and risen