A Glug of Oil

Easy and delicious recipes including midweek dinner ideas, English and world cuisine

Traditional Bread Pudding Recipe

How to make Bread Pudding

Popular during the wartime 1940s because it was cheap to make, and one slice was quite filling.

Best served while still warm with a cuppa, it's a great way to use up leftover bread.

Bread pudding cooling on a wire rack with one slice cut out.
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By the way, this is nothing like bread and butter pudding!

It is quite dense and stodgy and is proper comfort food and is a great way of using up stale bread. It can be eaten hot or cold.

Source: wiki 

Food historians trace the history back to the early 11th and 12th centuries, as frugal cooks looked for ways to use stale, leftover bread instead of letting it go to waste.

In 13th century England, bread pudding was known as 'poor man’s pudding,' as it was a popular dish with the lower classes.

I hadn't had it for years, until a couple of weeks ago when I made Bacon and Onion Roly Poly Pudding got me thinking about the food we had when I was a kid.

If you've never tried it before, you haven't lived, and have certainly been missing out! 😉

My nan used to make it and, of course, so did my mum. I'm not one for cakes or puddings, but this is a glorious thing. 

Thankfully, things have changed from the 1940s, and so now we can use milk rather than water.

Hot or cold, this is good stuff! 😋 Proper old-fashioned food. Oh, and when it's cooking, your kitchen will smell amazing.

Nothing fancy about it and certainly, no cooking skills are needed.

What is the best bread to use?

Any regular crusty loaf such as a bloomer (not the pre-sliced sandwich stuff) but it's important that it's 2 or 3 days old.

Can you freeze it?

I know people that have frozen it once it's completely cold. I've never tried, so I can't comment, but my thinking is why would you want to freeze it?

It's so delicious, that we never have any leftovers to freeze!

Ingredients

  • 1 x 600g stale loaf - you need 400g after the crust is removed
  • 380ml of milk
  • 1 large egg - free-range, of course
  • 60g of soft dark brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons mixed spice (not All spice as they are completely different)  
  • 120g unsalted butter - melted
  • caster sugar - for sprinkling over the top when it comes out of the oven

Let's find out how to make it!

Gather and prepare the ingredients.

Old fashioned bread pudding ingredients image.

Full instructions are in the printable recipe card below.

Cut the crusts off of and cut into small cubes and tip it into a large mixing bowl.

Soak the prepared bread in the milk and leave it to soak for about 30 minutes.

Mixed fruit and bread in a mixing bowl.

Add all the remaining ingredients.

Spices added to the mixed fruit and bread.

Use a wooden spoon to mix it together.

Mixing the indredients together in a large bowl.

Line a 22cm (9 inches) square tin with greaseproof paper (baking/parchment) and pour in the mixture.

Bread pudding in a square baking tin ready to cook.

Bake in your preheated oven for about 1 to 1¼ hours.

Keep an eye on it and check, as it may need covering with kitchen foil if it starts to brown too much.

When cooked, you should be able to insert a skewer that comes out clean.

Bread pudding cooling on a wire rack.

Sprinkle a little caster sugar over the top and eat either warm or cold.

Best served warm with a cuppa (a cup of tea)! 😋

Equipment

  • wooden spoon (don't use a hand mixer for bread pudding) 
Old fashioned bread pudding image. Pictured on a wire rack.

Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card below!

old fashioned bread pudding, traditional bread pudding, bread pudding recipe, 1940s bread pudding,
snack,
English
Yield: 9
Author: Jan Bennett
Traditional Bread Pudding Recipe

Traditional Bread Pudding Recipe

Make this, and your kitchen will smell amazing. Serve with a nice cuppa!
Prep time: 35 MinCook time: 1 H & 15 MInactive time: 25 MinTotal time: 2 H & 15 M

Ingredients

  • 1 x 600g stale loaf of bread - you need 400g after the crust is removed
  • 380ml of milk
  • 1 large egg - free-range, of course
  • 60g of soft dark brown sugar
  • 350g dried mixed fruit
  • 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons mixed spice (not All spice) as they are different
  • 120g unsalted butter - melted
  • caster sugar - for sprinkling over the top when it comes out of the oven

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C fan or 350°F or Gas 4
  1. Cut the crusts off of the bread and cut into small cubes and tip it into a large mixing bowl. Pour the milk over the bread and give it a quick mix before leaving it to soak for about 30 minutes - don't skip soaking the bread!
  2. After 30 minutes, using your hands, squish the milk soaked bread between your fingers, until there are no big lumps.
  3. Add all the remaining ingredients and, using a wooden spoon, mix well.
  4. Line a 22cm (9 inches) square tin with greaseproof paper (baking/parchment) and pour in the mixture.
  5. Bake in your preheated oven for about 1 to 1¼ hours.
  6. It's important to keep an eye on it and check it at about 50 minutes, as it may need covering with kitchen foil if it starts to brown too much.
  7. When cooked, you should be able to insert a skewer that comes out clean. Leave in the tin to cool a bit before turning out onto a wire rack.
  8. Sprinkle a little caster sugar over the top and eat either warm or cold. I say it's best warm with a cup of tea!

Notes

  • You can use a loose-bottomed baking tin, but you must line it with greaseproof (baking paper) so it comes up the sides a bit, or you might have a leak!
  • Your hands and a wooden spoon are best when mixing bread pudding; don't use a hand mixer.
  • Be sure to use mixed spice and not All spice, as they are different.
Did you make this recipe?
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24 comments

  1. This sounds beautiful ... definitely going to be making me some of this !!

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  2. This sounds delicious
    Not had a homemade version for about 20 years going to make this thanks for the easy recipe x

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  3. nice recipe... it is like the Maltese Bread Pudding.

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    1. Cheers JB, I didn't realise they had a similar pudding in Malta, thank you.

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  4. I've always made mine soaking bread in water (like Grandma). My OH likes to see as well as taste the fruit so extra goes in! I have frozen a large one and it defrosted well. (Illness cancelling gathering��) enjoy....

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  5. Just popped it into the oven. Should be done for 10pm tonight. It smells devine and can't wait to devour it. Oh and I've never made it before 😁

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    1. Dean, thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, do let me know if it was okay?!

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  6. I made this last night and it is absolutely delicious. Thank you so much for posting the recipe. It reminded me of the pudding my nan used to make in the 70's

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    1. So pleased you liked it, thanks for taking the time to let me know! Much appreciated.

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  7. I'd already soaked my bread in water, as an old English rellie showed me, but then I found your recipe. So I squeezed it out, and followed your recipe, adding less milk, but still added 1 grated apple. It turned out amazing - much nicer and less doughy. I added cinnamon sugar on top. Thank you so much for your great recipe.

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    1. Thanks Judith-Ann I'm so glad you liked the recipe!

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    2. I'm not sure how authentic this recipe is for the 1940's as butter was very tightly rationed and my understanding was that suet was used to make this pudding and water not milk. It was a cheap but yummy pudding and was also known as Dockers Wedding Cake as very popular with Londoners.

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    3. Being born in 1941, I remember this bread pudding well, having collected a lot of stale bread that I did not want to throw away, I decided to make it from memory! I had all the ingredients including vegetable oil and beef suet. Vegetable suet in 1940 was probably unknown so I used a packet of beef suet. I should have read your recipe first, but soaked my bread in water then squeezed it out and after reading your recipe added some milk and an egg, both of which may not have been available at that time. All your other ingredients were the same except my quantities were by feel! I cook with feeling and inspiration! 😉🤪. It’s in the oven now so fingers crossed 🤞

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    4. Hi Bumbleboo! Do let me know how it went.

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  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    Replies
    1. I've added a link to them in the ingredients in the main post.

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  9. Would sourdough bread work for this recipe?

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    1. You 'could' use sourdough bread - But would totally alter the taste and not for the better.

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  10. I live in Yucatan Mexico, the best bakery in town is 2 doors down, they sell every variety except all sourdough based. My Nan made me this in Southwark so I 'x try the Campesino and hope it works, TY

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  11. Hi all made it again today! How ironic it was 2 yrs ago that I first commented. Much bigger portion than before so we await the results in a couple of hours!

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    1. 2 years ago - wow! Glad you liked it enough to make it again x

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  12. I have just put this in the oven, be ready at 8.30. Will let you know how it turns out.

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I love to hear from everyone so thanks for taking the time to comment. Please note comments containing links will NOT be published.

Cheers
Jan