Bread and butter pudding is a quintessentially English dessert that… can sound a bit wacky if you’re not used to it. It’s essentially layers of (stale) bread that are spread with butter, sprinkled with sugar and dried fruit, then soaked in a simple custard mixture before being baked until golden and puffed. To the uninitiated, that might not sound great, but I love it! If it helps, you can just think of it as a big, baked version of French Toast— it’s a very similar concept!

Anyway, I wanted to make a festive variation on a traditional bread and butter pudding, so I created this: my Cranberry & Orange Bread and Butter Pudding. The cranberries are soaked in a zesty, orange syrup before being added to the dish, while the custard is lightly spiced with allspice and nutmeg for a super Christmassy, warming flavour. This recipe makes a great dessert, but I also really enjoy having it for breakfast too— it would make a perfect Christmas Eve/Day breakfast/brunch!

Ingredients

To make this festive bread and butter pudding, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Bread

You can use lots of different types of bread for this: a plain, white sliced bread works well, or you can use an enriched loaf, such a challah or brioche, for an extra special pudding! The bread needs to be stale, so, if you can, slice the bread in advance and leave the slices out overnight before making the pudding. In a pinch, though, I find a very gentle toasting can also work!

Some people like to remove the crusts off the bread for this recipe, but I quite like the texture they give. Do whatever works for you!

• Unsalted butter

I prefer using unsalted butter when baking, so that I can control the amount of salt. The butter needs to be softened/at room temperature, so it is spreadable. You can use salted, if that’s what you have, but I would recommend omitting the extra salt if you do this.

• Caster sugar

I prefer using caster sugar, instead of granulated sugar, because it dissolves more easily into the pudding, giving the inner, custard-y section a lovely, smooth texture, while still achieving a crispy outer crust.

• Milk

I like to use a 50:50 ratio of milk to cream for my bread and butter pudding, for the perfect combination of rich and creamy, but also light and fluffy. Whole milk is best, but you can use skimmed/semi-skimmed too, if that’s what you have.

• Cream

Use double cream for the best results.

• Eggs

I always use large eggs.

• Dried cranberries

This is where we start getting festive! I prefer to use unsweetened cranberries, but you can use whatever you would like.

• Orange

You’ll need both the zest and the juice for this recipe.

• Ground allspice

The first of the festive spices in this pudding, allspice lends a gentle warmth to the custard.

• Nutmeg

I prefer to buy nutmeg whole and grate it fresh whenever I need it, rather than buy the ready-ground stuff.

• Salt

Just a little pinch of fine sea salt, to help bring out all of the flavours. If you’re using salted butter, leave this out.

• Vanilla extract

Because this is a custard-based dish, it’s good to add a little vanilla extract to counter any potential egginess.

Method

Bread and butter pudding is so simple to make— it’s essentially just an assembly job! Grease the baking dish with butter (truly, don’t skip this step— It makes the clean up so much easier!), so it’s all ready for you, then get making. You can use any oven-safe dish for this— I’ve used a standard pie dish here, but I often make this recipe in a rectangular baking dish (18 x 27 x 5cm), which works really well too, so use whatever you have that’s roughly that kind of size!

For this recipe, you need to start by soaking the cranberries. Place them into a small saucepan, along with the orange zest and juice, plus a heaped teaspoon of sugar.

Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir frequently while the sugar melts and the liquid comes to a boil. Allow the mixture to bubble for about 30 seconds, then remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.

While the cranberries are cooling, you can start preparing the pudding. Spread the stale bread slices thickly on one side with the butter, making sure to use every last bit!

Next, cut the bread slices into whatever shape you would like: triangles (like I’ve done here) are popular, but cubes can also work well!

Place half of the bread slices, butter-side up, into your greased baking dish, trying your best to cover the bottom in an even layer (do a better job than me, if you can). Don’t worry about arranging the bread too nicely at this stage, as there’s another layer of bread to come!

Sprinkle half of the caster sugar evenly over the bread layer, then scatter over all of the cooled, soaked cranberries (along with any orange-y juices). The reason you add all of the dried fruit at this stage is so that it is sandwiched between the two bread layers, so it won’t burn in the oven.

Now you can top up the dish with the remaining bread pieces, again, placing them butter-side up. This will form the top of your pudding, so, if you want it to look extra fancy, arrange your bread pieces in a nice pattern (I went for this starry situation, because it is Christmas, after all).

Evenly sprinkle over the remaining sugar, then set the dish aside while you prepare the custard.

Place the eggs into a bowl.

Whisk the eggs well.

Add the milk and cream, then whisk again until completely incorporated.

Strain the mixture through a sieve into a jug. This removes any stringy bits of egg to ensure that the baked custard will be silky smooth. Don’t skip this step!

Once the custard has been strained, add the ground allspice, freshly grated nutmeg, salt and vanilla extract. Mix well to combine.

Pour the custard mixture evenly over the bread in the baking dish, then set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes, so that the bread can absorb some of the custard.

You want to make sure the bread slices are submerged in the custard during the resting period, so gently press down on them from time to time, if needed, until the time is up and they have absorbed lots of the delicious custard.

Once the pudding has stood for 30 minutes, you can bake it for 45-55 minutes at 170°C (conventional oven, not fan), until golden and puffed. Allow the pudding to stand for 5 minutes before serving (the pudding will deflate slightly as it cools).

Variations

• Milk or Cream

I like to use a 50:50 ratio of milk to cream in my bread and butter puddings, but you can use any ratio you want! Using 100% cream makes for a really luxurious, rich and heavy dessert, while using 100% milk makes for a lighter, less dense bake. A 50:50 ratio gives you the best of both worlds, but any ratio will work. Often, if I have a small amount of cream to use up, I’ll just put it in a jug, then make it up to 570ml with milk.

• Fruit

I’ve used cranberries here, to make this super seasonal, but you could use any kind of dried fruit you like. If you plan to use larger dried fruits (such as apricots or figs), I’d recommend chopping them finely before adding them to the dish. If you’re an anti-dried fruit kind of person, you can leave them out, or substitute them with chopped nuts or chocolate chips!

• Spices

I’ve included allspice and nutmeg in this bread and butter pudding recipe, to make it extra Christmassy and warming, but you can omit the spices if you’d prefer a fresher, fruitier taste.

Make-Ahead

Bread and butter pudding can be made ahead in a variety of different ways to suit your festive needs:

• Once baked, the pudding can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days. Simply warm through individual servings in the microwave, or the whole lot in the oven, when you’re ready to serve it (apparently, it is also very delicious cold, but I can’t say I’ve ever tried that!).
• If you want to bake the pudding at the last minute, you can store the unbaked pudding (covered) in the fridge for up to 24 hours. You can bake it cold from the fridge, but it will need a little longer in the oven.

Making the pudding ahead means you can have delicious, festive bread & butter pudding at any time during the holiday season— even on Christmas morning!

Recipe

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Cranberry & Orange Bread and Butter Pudding

A classic bread and butter pudding, turned into a delicious, festive dessert/breakfast with cranberries, fresh orange and warming spices.

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine British

Keyword Allspice, Bread and butter pudding, Cranberry, Custard, Nutmeg, Orange

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes minutes

Resting time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Equipment

• 1 oven-safe baking dish (a standard pie dish OR a rectangular baking dish, about 18 x 27 x 5cm)

Ingredients

• 60 g unsweetened dried cranberries
• 1 orange, zest and juice.
• 50 g + 1 heaped tsp caster sugar
• 60 g unsalted butter, softened (plus extra for greasing).
• 215 g stale bread, sliced (see Note 1).
• 2 eggs
• 285 ml milk (see Note 2).
• 285 ml double cream (see Note 2).
• 1/8 tsp ground allspice
• 1/16 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated.
• 1 splash vanilla extract
• 1 pinch fine sea salt

Instructions

• Grease the baking dish with butter and set aside. Don't preheat the oven just yet (the bread and butter pudding needs to stand for 30 minutes before baking). The pudding will be baked at 170°C (conventional, not fan).
• Place the cranberries, orange zest and juice, and the heaped tsp of caster sugar into a small saucepan over medium heat. Stirring frequently, bring to the boil, then cook for a further 30 seconds before removing from the heat and setting aside to cool.
• Spread the bread slices thickly with the butter, then cut into your desired shapes.
• Arrange half of the bread pieces, butter-side up, in the greased baking dish. Sprinkle over half of the remaining sugar, along with all of the cooled, soaked cranberries (and any liquid). Arrange the remaining bread pieces on top, butter-side up, sprinkle over the remaining sugar, then set aside while you make the custard.
• For the custard, whisk the eggs together in a bowl until combined. Add the milk and cream, then whisk well. Pour the mixture through a fine sieve into a jug, to remove any stringy bits of egg.
• Add the allspice, nutmeg, vanilla and salt to the custard and mix well.
• Pour the custard evenly over the bread, then leave to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
• Bake the pudding at 170°C for 45-55 minutes, until golden and puffed. Allow the baked pudding to stand for 5-10 minutes before serving warm.

Notes

1. You can use lots of different types of bread for this recipe: plain, white, sliced bread works well, as do enriched breads such as challah and brioche. It needs to be stale to absorb the custard well. You can either leave the crusts on or cut them off— it’s entirely up to you.
2. I use a 50:50 ratio of milk:cream, but you can use any ratio you would like, as long as the total quantity of liquid adds up to 570ml.

Make Ahead

Once baked, the pudding can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days. Simply reheat to serve. 

You can also store the unbaked pudding (covered) in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Bake the pudding from chilled, but be aware that it will likely need a little longer in the oven. 

First up: these super tasty, fun and fruity Pear & Almond Scones (because you can’t have afternoon tea without scones, right?).

Let’s get into it!

Table of Contents

• Inspiration
• Ingredients
• Making the Scones
• Tips & Tricks for Making Perfect Scones
• Pear & Almond Scone Recipe

Inspiration

I will try desperately not to waffle here- but because I spent so long crafting these recipes, I did want to give you a little insight into how I was inspired by the show for each one! As I mentioned, you can’t have an afternoon tea without scones, so I knew there had to be some sort of scone recipe in this series.

In terms of the flavour choice, I cycled through a few different options before landing right back where I started, with my family’s favourite Pear & Almond scones. We first had these scones in Ireland, at a café called Avoca (I use the term ‘café’ lightly here- it’s more of an iconic chain of big store/café hybrids? Hard to explain- but they serve cheesecake slices that are, quite literally, the size of my head, so, naturally, it’s one of my favourite places). The Avoca scones are significantly bigger than the ones I make here, but I wanted to keep things dainty for my dessert table, so I fiddled around with the recipe a little to make that possible. The Bridgerton theme isn’t quite as strong with this recipe as some of the others, but I still think the fresh, fruity flavour really fits into the general, spring/summer aesthetic. Also, these scones are DeLiCiOuS, so I kind of just wanted to share the recipe anyway.

Ingredients

These Pear and Almond Scones are made from a sweetened, enriched dough. To make it, you will need:

• Unsalted butter

Cold, diced butter is rubbed into the dry ingredients to create flaky layers in the finished scones.

• Self-raising flour

Self-raising flour gives the scones lift, so they are super soft and fluffy.

• Baking powder

Baking powder gives the scones even more lift (so they’re super super soft and fluffy)!

• Caster sugar

The caster sugar lends a slight sweetness to the scones, making them super moreish.

• Pears

The pears lend sweetness, moisture and flavour to the scones. You can choose whether you want to grate the pears or finely dice them- using grated pears will make it easier to cut perfectly neat scones and produce a slightly moister result, but the pear flavour will be more prominent if you use diced pears. It’s up to you- just make sure to squeeze out any extra moisture from the grated pear, using a tea towel, if you decide to go down that route!

• Egg

This enriches the dough, making it extra delicious.

• Milk

Milk is added to the dough to help bring it together. It is also brushed on top of the scones before baking, to help the flaked almonds adhere.

• Vanilla extract

Vanilla extract nicely complements the pear and almond flavours.

• Flaked almonds

Flaked almonds are sprinkled on top to add almond flavour and a crunchy texture.

Making the Scones

Start by preheating the oven to 210°C (conventional oven). Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and set aside.

Next, prepare the pears. Peel and core each one, then either grate roughly, or finely dice. If you grate the pears, transfer the grated fruit to a clean tea towel and squeeze out as much juice as you can, otherwise the scone dough will be too wet. Set the prepared fruit aside while you get started on the dough.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl, then add the cold, diced butter.

Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Add the sugar to the bowl and stir through, then add the prepared pear and mix, just to get the pear evenly distributed throughout.

In a jug, whisk together the egg, milk and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir until the mixture starts to come together.

Use your hands to bring the mixture together into a rough dough, then tip the whole lot onto a floured work surface.

Pat or roll out the dough until it is about 3cm thick. Using a 5cm fluted round cutter, and making sure to dip the cutter into some flour in between each cut, stamp out the scones, carefully transferring them to the prepared baking sheet as you go.

Brush the scones with a little milk, then sprinkle generously with flaked almonds.

Bake the scones in the middle of the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool on the tray for 5 minutes or so, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve the scones with your choice of accompaniment- I like clotted cream and strawberry jam, but butter, whipped cream and other jams are all popular choices too!

Tips & Tricks for Making Perfect Scones

• Don’t over-handle the dough

This is Scone 101: you want to handle the dough as little as possible for perfect, flaky scones! I like to use a blunt knife to mix the dough, then use my hands to bring it together. I know it’s tempting to knead the dough to get it into a smooth ball, but this will just make your scones tough! Tip the dough out onto your work surface before it has come together completely, then finish bringing it together as you pat it into shape. This way, you’ll end up with perfectly light, flaky scones every time.

• Keep the liquid to a minimum

Pears can be super juicy, so it’s very important that you keep an eye on how much liquid your adding to your dough. If your dough is too wet, your scones won’t rise properly! If you’re grating the pear, make sure to squeeze out as much of the juice as possible before adding the fruit to your mixture. If you’re dicing the pear and notice it’s particularly juicy, I would recommend decreasing the quantity of milk a little to account for the extra liquid.

• Flour the cutter

Scones have these iconic, flaky layers that puff up in the oven, but they can cause you a few problems, if you’re not careful. When you cut out the scones, it’s important that you don’t ‘seal’ the edges with your cutter- that is, that you don’t compress the flaky layers down into each other. If you do this, you run the risk of your scones not puffing up, or even baking up lopsided, like little Leaning Tower(s) of Pisa! To prevent this, make sure to flour your cutter in between each scone. Not only will this prevent the layers from sticking to each other as you press down, it will also make it much easier to get the scones out!

• Bake at a high temperature

Scones require a quick bake at a high temperature for maximum soft, flaky deliciousness. I bake these scones at 210°C (conventional oven), which is significantly higher than the original recipe, but gives perfect, fluffy scones every time.

• Serve the scones on the day you make them

Scones are one of those things that really are at their best on the day that they are baked. It’s a bit of a faff, but it’s worth it for the perfect scone. If you do have leftovers, they can be stored in an airtight container, at room temperature, for 2-3 days, but they will start to dry out after the first day.

Pear & Almond Scone Recipe

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Pear & Almond Scones

Sweet scones filled with fresh pear and topped with flaked almonds- a perfect treat for an afternoon tea with a twist, or a Bridgerton watch party!

Course Dessert, Snack

Keyword Afternoon tea, almond, Pear, Scone

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 30 scones

Equipment

• 5cm Fluted round cutter

Ingredients

• 2 large pears
• 500 g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting.
• 1 rounded tsp baking powder
• 125 g unsalted butter, cold and diced.
• 65 g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 200 ml whole milk, plus extra for brushing.
• 3 drops vanilla extract
• Large handful of flaked almonds

To serve:

• Clotted cream & jam (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 210°C (conventional oven). Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and set aside.
• Peel and core the pears, then either roughly grate or finely dice (see Note 1). If grating, transfer the grated pear to a clean tea towel and squeeze to remove any excess liquid. Set aside.
• Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the butter and rub together, using your fingertips, until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Add the sugar to the bowl and stir through. Add the prepared pear and mix until evenly distributed.
• Whisk together the egg, milk and vanilla extract in a jug, then add to the flour mixture. Mix until the dough starts to come together, then use your hands to bring it into a rough dough, being careful not to overwork it.
• Tip the dough onto a clean, floured surface and pat/roll it into a disk about 3cm thick. Stamp out the scones using a fluted round cutter, making sure to dip the cutter in flour between each cut. Transfer the scones to the prepared baking tray as you go.
• Brush the tops of the scones with a little milk, then sprinkle with flaked almonds. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool on the tray for 5 minutes or so, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving with clotted cream and jam, if desired. Scones are best eaten on the day that they are baked, but can be stored in an airtight container, at room temperature, for 2-3 days (if you don't mind them drying out a little!).

Notes

1. Grated pear will yield slightly moister scones, whereas the pear flavour will be more pronounced if diced pear is used. Grated pear will also make it easier to cut neat scones.

Recipe adapted from Avoca Tea Time.