Bread and Butter Pudding

Why this dinner works

Most weeknight one-pot dinners ask you to choose between two evils: a five-ingredient bowl that tastes like the inside of a saucepan, or a recipe so layered it eats your entire evening. Bread and Butter Pudding sits comfortably in the middle. It draws on British traditions where building flavor in stages — aromatics, then spice, then the slow swell of liquid into starch — is just how dinner gets made on a regular Tuesday.

The whole thing comes together in about 60 minutes in a single skillet, which means dinner from idea to table is shorter than most podcast episodes. We've leaned on the everyday 9 ingredients listed below, but in the notes after the recipe you'll find the small swaps and shortcuts that make this dish forgiving when your fridge is half-empty.

Method

1. Step 1. Grease a 1 litre/2 pint pie dish with butter.
2. Step 2. Cut the crusts off the bread. Spread each slice with on one side with butter, then cut into triangles.
3. Step 3. Arrange a layer of bread, buttered-side up, in the bottom of the dish, then add a layer of sultanas. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon, then repeat the layers of bread and sultanas, sprinkling with cinnamon, until you have used up all of the bread. Finish with a layer of bread, then set aside.
4. Step 4. Gently warm the milk and cream in a pan over a low heat to scalding point. Don't let it boil.
5. Step 5. Crack the eggs into a bowl, add three quarters of the sugar and lightly whisk until pale.
6. Step 6. Add the warm milk and cream mixture and stir well, then strain the custard into a bowl.
7. Step 7. Pour the custard over the prepared bread layers and sprinkle with nutmeg and the remaining sugar and leave to stand for 30 minutes.
8. Step 8. Preheat the oven to 180C/355F/Gas 4.
9. Step 9. Place the dish into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the custard has set and the top is golden-brown.

Cook's notes

One pan, fewer dishes. Use the widest, heaviest skillet you own with a tight-fitting lid. The wider base means faster browning at the start; the lid traps the gentle steam that finishes the dish without scorching the bottom.

Salt as you go. Season the aromatics, season the protein, season the liquid before it reduces. By the time you taste at the end, the only adjustment is usually acid — a squeeze of lemon, a splash of vinegar, a final crack of pepper.

Make it ahead. Like most one-pot dinners with british roots, the leftovers are arguably better the next day. Cool quickly, refrigerate within two hours, and reheat gently with a splash of water or stock to loosen things back up.

Pairings & serving

This one feels best in a 4-bowl spread with a sharp green salad and something cold to drink. If you want to stretch it for unexpected company, double the liquid and a single starchy ingredient — rice, pasta, potatoes, depending on the recipe — and the whole pan grows without much extra work.

Watch it cooked

If you're a visual learner, there's a free walkthrough of this dish on YouTube.

Original recipe inspiration: source.