Serves: 4
Bread and butter pudding is surely the ultimate use of leftover bread! A classic comfort dessert with a French twist.
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp (3 oz./90 g) butter, divided
- 7 oz. (200 g) blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries
- 1 cup (250 ml) whole milk
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, preferably organic
- 2 tbsp orange flower water
- 3 eggs
- ⅓ cup (2.75 oz./75 g) sugar, divided
- 6 large slices pain de mie (Pullman loaf)
Directions
1Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/Gas Mark 4) and grease the baking dish with 1 tbsp (20 g) of the butter. Wash the berries and pat them dry.
2Combine the milk, lemon zest, and orange flower water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
3In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and ¼ cup (1.75 oz./50 g) of the sugar.
4Melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan or in the microwave. Cut each slice in half and brush generously with the melted butter. Arrange the slices in the prepared dish, making an attractive pattern. Scatter the fruit between the slices, then pour in the milk, followed by the egg-sugar mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar and bake for 30–40 minutes, until the custard is set and the bread is deeply golden.
5Serve warm or at room temperature.
LA BONNE IDÉE
- To boost the colour, texture, and flavour of this bread pudding, sprinkle it with roughly chopped pistachios.
Extracted from Upper Crust: Homemade Bread the French Way by Marie-Laure Fréchet (Flammarion, 2021).
Photography © Valérie Lhomme.
This is of course a British dish and has nothing to do with France.
It is also not made with blueberries, blackberries or such, but with sultanas or raisons, day-old white bread, nutmeg, cinnamon and cream. Probably the version here will taste acceptable, but the recipe is certainly not original. It can also be served cold from the fridge if so wished.
Pity!