SERVES 6
A proper bread and butter pudding is hard to beat, particularly during the cooler months. The walnut crumble on top of this delicious pudding provides some crunch and a lovely nutty flavour.
INGREDIENTS
300g sliced wholemeal bread (see Tips)
40g butter, softened
70g (1/3 cup) chopped pitted prunes (see Tips)
3 eggs
2 tbsp pure maple syrup, plus extra to serve
100g (100ml) pouring (pure) cream (see Tips)
500g (2 cups) milk
1 tsp natural vanilla extract
Natural yoghurt or custard, to serve (optional)
Walnut crumble
60g (1/2 cup) chopped walnuts
3 tsp preferred brown sugar (see Tips)
25g butter, cubed
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp wholemeal self-raising flour
PREPARATION
1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan).
2. Lightly spread each slice of bread with butter. Cut each bread slice in half diagonally. Arrange bread slices in a deep-sided ovenproof dish (approx. 25cm × 16cm). Scatter over prunes.
3. Whisk eggs, syrup, cream, milk and vanilla in a large jug or bowl. Pour mixture over the bread, coating every slice. Leave to absorb for 15 minutes.
4. Place the dish on a baking tray. Bake for 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, to make walnut crumble, combine all ingredients in a bowl. Rub butter into the mixture with your fingertips. The crumble will be quite lumpy. Set aside.
6. Remove pudding from oven, scatter with reserved crumble topping and bake for a further 15–20 minutes or until golden and pudding has set. Allow to cool for 5–10 minutes, then drizzle with extra maple syrup if desired, and serve with yoghurt or custard (optional).
TIPS
You can use whichever wholemeal or wholegrain bread you like for this pudding – multigrain and rye are also lovely. Choose a softer bread to allow the custard to properly absorb. If your loaf is unsliced, cut into 1 cm slices.
If you prefer, you can replace the prunes with raisins or sultanas.
Use your preferred brown sugar in this recipe, either regular brown sugar or a less refined option such as rapadura sugar (panela) or coconut sugar.
For a lower-calorie option, you can leave out the cream and use an extra 100g milk (600g in total).
NUTRITION NOTE
Prunes are great source of fibre and antioxidants. They’re low-GI and nutrient-rich with twice the potassium of bananas.