Today I’m delighted to be sharing the recipe for one of my favourite childhood treats – Old Fashioned English Bread Pudding. Its name certainly doesn’t do it justice though, as it tastes nothing like bread nor would I describe it as a pudding! Instead, it is more like a sweet, dense fruit cake. It is delicious served with a hot cuppa, and also makes a fantastic energy-boosting snack to stash in your backpacks for hikes and bike rides. I think this year, all of us have been spending a lot more time outdoors and we definitely need some tasty snacks to keep us fuelled and put a spring in our step. This bread pudding definitely fits that bill!
When I first went vegan, I thought that I was going to have to forego this favourite treat of mine, but it turns out that it was really easy to ‘veganise’ my family’s traditional bread pudding recipe. It was simply a case of switching the cow’s milk for plant milk (I use soya), switching the butter for oil, and ditching the egg. I honestly couldn’t tell the difference from the original. I was absolutely over the moon that my beloved bread pudding was back on the menu.
When I was selling my cookbook at local fairs, I would often take some trays of bread pudding to display on our stall, and they would go in a flash. It was a running joke that the bread pudding was our top sales person as people would often buy a slice, then come back to buy the book specifically for that bread pudding recipe!
Since my cookbook is almost out of print, I thought it would be useful to share the recipe here on the blog, so everyone can enjoy a slice or two of this tasty treat.
It is really easy to make and super cheap too! It is traditionally made with stale bread, but as bread never hangs around long enough in my house to go stale, I buy a cheap loaf of wholemeal bread instead. The supermarkets’ own brand medium-sliced bread only costs about 60p and you need less than a whole loaf to make 16 slices of bread pudding, making it an absolute bargain!
Recipe Card
Old Fashioned English Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 500 g / 17½ oz wholemeal (whole wheat) bread
- 600 ml / 2½ cups soya milk
- 1 TBSP mixed spice
- ½ TBSP ground cinnamon (or more mixed spice)
- 500 g / 3½ cups mixed dried fruit e.g. sultanas, raisins, candied citrus peel
- zest of 1 unwaxed/organic lemon
- zest of 1 unwaxed/organic orange
- 50 ml / ¼ cup neutral-flavoured oil (I use organic rapeseed (canola) oil)
- 100 g / ½ cup unrefined ('golden') caster sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 TBSP Demerara or turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Crumble the bread into a large mixing bowl. Pour in the milk and continue crumbling the bread until it has completely broken down. Stir in the mixed spice, cinnamon and dried fruits. Set aside for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan) / 350F. Grease and line a 20cm / 8 inch square baking tin with non-stick baking paper. Leave some paper overhanging the edges for easy removal.
- Add the citrus zest, oil and sugar to the mixing bowl. Stir until thoroughly combined, then tip into the prepared tin. Press down and level with a spatula. Sprinkle the Demerara sugar evenly on top. Bake for 1½ hours, or until a skewer inserted through the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool completely, then remove from the tin and slice.
- Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, the bread pudding will keep for a week. It also freezes well.
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If you make this Old Fashioned English Bread Pudding, I’d love to hear your feedback and any suggestions for adaptations! Tag your photos with #bitofthegoodstuff on social media – I always love to see your creations! You can also connect with me on my social media channels here: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest.
With love,
Sharon xx
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Dear Sharon,
The finished texture of your cut pudding is the closest I have seen to my late mother’s.
I still use her WW2 method: stale bread soaked over-night in water, raisins, sultanas and candied orange and lemon peel, mixed spice and nutmeg, beef suet (vegetable suet does the same job) and little sugar since it was rationed. This glorious treat didn’t last more than 48 hours in our family home and I still love it.
Best wishes,
Valerie.
Dear Valerie, thank you so much for your lovely comment! What a wonderful compliment to hear that the texture reminded you of your late mother’s bread pudding. Thank you too for sharing her WW2 recipe and the memories that go with it – I loved reading about it. ❤️
It sounds as though bread pudding was a very special family favourite, and I can completely understand why it never lasted long! Thank you again for taking the time to share your story.
Best wishes, Sharon x
It was nice BUT when I took it out of the oven all the sultanas that were on the top had burnt. I left it in the oven for an hour and a quarter, which is a bit less than your recommended time. How can I avoid the burnt fruit ? Before I popped it in the oven I did push the top down with a spatula and made sure no sultanas were visible. But during the bake they popped through the top and ended up black 🙁
Hi Nigel,
Thank you so much for your feedback. I’m glad you enjoyed the pudding overall!
To help prevent the sultanas burning, make sure they’re fully soaked in the milk/bread mixture for 30 minutes (it helps keep them plump), and you could try lightly covering the tin with foil for most of the baking time, then uncover for the last 10–15 minutes to brown the top.
I hope this helps!
Best wishes,
Sharon x
Absolutely delicious, I was given a loaf of seeded rye bread then I had golden raisin and walnuts, and that’s what I used. I’ll definitely make it again.
Hi Lilia, thank you so much for your lovely comments and the 5 stars! It means a lot! 🥰 Your version with seeded rye, golden raisins and walnuts sounds absolutely gorgeous – I love how adaptable this recipe is! It’s wonderful to hear you’ll be making it again ❤️
I’ve always made my bread pudding with water rather than milk. I normally use suet but would like to try your recipe for my vegan friend. I’ve previously made a bread pudding and forgotten to add the egg and couldn’t really tell the difference.
Hi Julie, that’s so thoughtful of you to make a vegan-friendly bread pudding for your friend! ❤️ This recipe works beautifully without eggs or suet – I hope you give it a try!
With love, Sharon xx
Left it over night in oven that was warm. Is this safe bearing in mind no eggs in it. I have tried it and it tastes fantastic. Not been sick yet so assume ok. Should it be ok if I now cover with clingfilm and put in fridge
Hi Mark, I’m so glad you enjoyed the bread pudding, and I really appreciate you stopping by to let me know 😊 Since it’s vegan it doesn’t carry the same risks as puddings made with eggs or dairy, but for food safety I’d still recommend cooling it and popping it in the fridge rather than leaving it in a warm oven overnight. It keeps really well chilled, and you can reheat slices whenever you fancy. Best wishes, Sharon x
I love, love, love this. It brought wonderful nostalgic memories of my Dad buying 2 squares of bread pudding from the bakery and giving me one square to eat with him while I told him how my day went.
Thank you for giving me joy by recreating this recipe for us and bringing those long-forgotten memories back to my mind
My Mum who was an Eastender through and through made Bread Pud every week from the stale Bread that somehow accumulated.
It was always a delight plenty of Mixed Spice and grated Nutmeg on the top with a scattering of Sugar.
Either served with home made Custard or cut up with a Cuppa it is a treasured memory.
With growing sons and Dad working in the Docks it never lasted too long.
We lived 100 yards from the Local Bakery so Hot Fresh bread was purchased every single day
(bar Sundays of course).
She never wrote a Recipe down as most Fruit Cakes were multiples of Two Flour Lard/Butter Dried Fruit
But watching Her turn stale old bread and a few cupboard ingredients into something Magic is a wonderful memory.
God Bless Mum
My Mum, 96 yrs old, is a a proud Eastender too. Her Gran made this, no eggs used back then as they were too expensive, and my Mum used to make this for her family with her Gran’s recipe ie whatever was to hand in the kitchen cupboard, and I make it too, neither Mum or I ever use eggs, even though we’re are not vegan or vegetarian. It was always considered a” poor man’s pudding” due to the simple ingredients, but it is delicious and wonderful comfort food.
I always put glacé cherries in mine. And some brandy or sloe gin to soak goes well.
Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!! I really thought I would not be able to have bread pudding anymore because of the eggs! Yay! Really good of you to share the recipes from your book.
Problem is, everyone who has tasted it, wants me to make one for them.
And my wife suggested it as a regular for our house.
There is no doubt, this is a lovely recipe, so easy.
I am very pleased to have found this recipe, and even more that I tried it, and of course will continue to do so. Thank you
Made your bread pudding yesterday, only used Sultanas & mixed spice. It was delicious, will be making every week now 😋
I’m not one for cakes & biscuits, but this is perfect with a cuppa. 🫖
Loved this! I know exactly which well-known author’s recipe you based this on as it has long been a favourite of mine – I made it frequently before going vegan and always wondered if could be made without the eggs and dairy! I did less fruit than stated as I only had raisins and prunes, and didn’t want too many of them, but apart from that change, I followed the recipe exactly.
Excellent! I made too many rye loaves last week so one became bread pudding. Used 200g fruit as that’s all I had but was plenty. Got another rye to use up so I’ll make it again. Such a nostalgic flavour!