Westgold Cinnamon Butter & Bread Pudding

Slightly stale bread, a good soaking and a water bath are key to a soft and silky pudding according to Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards judge and recipe guru Kathy Paterson. Kathy’s generous with the sultanas as she loves the texture they provide, but you can cut back the amount if they are not to your taste. The extra pop of flavour comes from Westgold Cinnamon Butter.

Serves 4

½ cup sultanas 

2 tablespoons verjuice

4 thin slices slightly stale wheatmeal bread

50g Westgold Cinnamon Butter, softened or melted

3 tablespoons red fruit jam

1 orange

1 tablespoon soft brown sugar

200ml full cream milk

150ml cream

3 eggs

icing sugar for sprinkling, optional

Put the sultanas in a small saucepan with the verjuce and a tablespoon of water. Gently heat to soften and plump the sultanas then set aside to cool. Drain, if needed.

Lightly grease a 3-cup-capacity ovenproof dish with Westgold butter.

Trim the crusts from the bread slices. Butter both sides of the bread and spread both sides with the jam. Cut each slice into 4 pieces.

Scatter half of the sultanas in the prepared dish then finely grate over half of the orange zest. Scatter over half of the brown sugar. Arrange the bread slices in the dish and top with the remaining sultanas and brown sugar.

Whisk together the milk, cream and eggs. Strain into a jug then pour slowly into the dish – the bread will start to soak up the custard mixture. Leave to sit for 30 minutes or for up to an hour, if time allows.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180°C.

Put the dish inside a high-side roasting tin and fill halfway with hot/boiling water to make a bain marie (water bath). Cover with compostable foil.

Put in the oven and cook for 15 minutes then remove and carefully remove the foil. Return to the oven and cook for a further 12-15 minutes until golden and the custard still a little wobbly. Remove from the oven. The pudding will continue to cook a little as it sits in the water bath.

Remove pudding from the water bath as soon as you can. Grate the remaining orange zest over the pudding.

Serve warm sprinkled with a smidgen of icing sugar, if wished and with scoops of vanilla or hokey pokey ice cream.

Tip

-        put the sultanas in a small bowl along with the verjuice and water, cover and sit overnight to soak and plump.