Hot Cross Bun Bread & Butter Pudding

Happy Easter! Over the next few days you’ll probably be eating a variety of chocolate goodies and on Good Friday lots of Hot Cross Buns.  At Great British Chefs we’ve had our fair share of buns for a while, and our Head of Social Media wanted to use up some of leftovers with a Hot Cross Bun bread & butter pudding. Paul Heathcote has a lovely recipe for Bread & Butter Pudding on our site & armed with that as a guide see how she got on. Paul even gave some serving suggestions on Twitter …..

Most people who know me know I like a good bread and butter pudding.  I’ve made it using all sorts of bread, a favourite being Panettone.  I’ve also used different “dried fruit” to go between the bread - preserved ginger and marmalade worked very well.  At Great British Chefs I’ve made Delia Smith’s amazing Chocolate Bread and Butter pudding a number of times - it’s surprisingly easy yet tastes incredible.  However, I’ve never made bread & butter pudding with Hot Cross Buns before.

It’s a great way to use up leftover or slightly stale Hot Cross Buns to have as a dessert on Easter Sunday or any time over the Easter holiday.

Using a number of recipes as a reference here’s the basic guide

Ingredients:
• 6 hot cross buns
• 50g butter  - soft enough to spread
• 3 eggs
• 60g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 250 ml milk
• 150 ml double cream

Method:

1. Pre heat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas3 and butter an oven proof dish

2. Slice the hot cross buns in halves and butter both sides of the bottom halves and then arrange in an oven dish.  

3. Whisk together the remaining ingredients and slowly pour half the mixture over the bottom halves, ensuring everything is covered. 

4. Butter the top halves of the buns, place on top.  Dot with a few bits of butter to make sure the tops don’t get too dark. Then pour the rest of the mixture over the buns.  Ideally leave to soak for about an hour but I made at lunchtime so just put in the oven after only five minutes soaking!

5. Bake for about 45 minutes or until puffy and dark rich brown.  

As mentioned before the recipe owes a lot to Paul Heathcote’s Bread & Butter Pudding, so I tweeted this and Paul asked how it came out

Once I got over the excitement of Paul Heathcote asking how something I had cooked turned out, I said it worked quite well and wasn’t as “bready” as it sounded. He then gave some lovely suggestions on what to serve it with

Sounds like the perfect way to serve this pudding.  If you just want to remain traditional with your Bread and Butter Pudding, Paul’s beautiful dish is a winner.

Paul Heathcote’s recipe for Bread & Butter Pudding

There’s more Easter recipe ideas in our collection and on our Easter Baking blog post.

What are your tips for making the perfect Bread and Butter Pudding? Have you ever tried making it with Hot Cross Buns?  What other breads or fillings have you used?  We’re discussing these questions over on Great British Chefs Facebook Page.

Easter Baking

The coming of Easter means a long Bank Holiday weekend and with it, plenty of time to get your baking skills into full gear. And as Spring is in the air, what better time for your Easter baking to reflect this upturn in the seasons, with vibrant colours and bold flavours to match the Spring shoots and blossoms.  Great British Chefs blogger Monica Shaw has assembled a few of her favourite Easter baking ideas below, including a recipe for Hot Cross Buns. 

Making Hot Cross Buns - photo by Monica Shaw

Blog post by Monica Shaw

Simnel Cake

Photo by Ali Elan

The traditional Simnel cake is a sweet fruit cake that’s been eaten since medieval times as a symbolic ritual, typically topped with eleven marzipan balls to signify the eleven apostles of Christ (sans Judas!). Tradition aside, there’s a reason why this cake has stood the test of time: it’s rich, delicious and looks beautiful on the Easter feast table. Try Hobbs House’s Simnel Cake, developed by Fabulous Baker Brother Tom Herbert. Or for something a bit more bite-sized, Dan Lepard’s Simnel Cupcakes are a treat.

Sedgemoor Easter Cakes

More biscuit than cake (but what’s in a name?), these spiced shortbread-style goodies hail from Somerset and were traditionally tied in bundles of three to represent the Holy Trinity. If you’re after a little slice of British heritage this Easter, it doesn’t get better than this. The New York Times shares a recipe for Sedgemoor Easter Cakes adapted from ‘Good Things in England: A Practical Cookery Book for Everyday Use,’ originally published in 1932.

Chocolate Easter Nests

Photo by Stephanie Kilgast

Three ingredients are all it takes to make these cute little chocolate nests: shredded wheat, milk chocolate and colourful chocolate mini eggs. They’re lots of fun and the perfect thing to make with the kids. Try the recipe on Gin and Crumpets.

Easter Biscuits

Photo by Jim Crocker

Another kid-friendly baking idea: buttery biscuits cut into happy Easter shapes like rabbits, eggs and chicks. All you need is a basic biscuit base, some frosting and some cookie cutters. Fiona Cairn shares her basic recipe for Easter Biscuits in the Telegraph, or for something a little more grownup, try these orange-infused Easter Biscuits on AllRecipes.

Hot Cross Buns

Photo by Monica Shaw

What’s an Easter bake without hot cross buns? These sweet, spiced yeast buns take some time to make, but the method is straightforward and it’s time well spent. Once you bake your own, you will never buy store bought hot cross buns again. Chef Rachel Demuth of Demuths Restaurant kindly shared with us her recipe for Hot Cross Buns below.

Recipe: Hot Cross Buns

Makes 12

Ingredients:

·         1 tbsp dried active yeast

·         1 tsp sugar

·         125ml warm water

·         350g strong white flour

·         100g strong wholemeal flour

·         1/2 tsp salt

·         2 tsps mixed spice

·         50g caster sugar

·         75g sultanas

·         75g dried apricots, chopped

·         75g mixed peel

·         125ml warm milk

·         50g butter, melted

·         1 egg, beaten

Piping paste:

·         4 tbsps unbleached white flour

·         1 tbsp caster sugar

·         2 tbsps cold water

Glazes:

·         1 egg yolk +1 tablespoon milk

·         2 tbsps sugar + 2 tbsps water

Method:

1.      In a bowl mix the dried yeast with the sugar and add the warm water, whisk, cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place until frothy which takes about 10-15minutes.

2.      In a large mixing bowl, sieve the flour and add the salt, mixed spice, caster sugar, sultanas, dried apricots and mixed peel.

3.      Make a well in the centre and pour in the frothy yeast, warm milk, melted butter and beaten egg. Mix well with your hands into a sticky dough.

4.      Lightly flour a work surface, turn the dough out and kneed the dough for 5 minutes until soft and smooth.

5.      Place the dough in a clean oiled bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place for 60 minutes until it has doubled in size.

6.      Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and gently kneed the dough. Roll the dough into a sausage and divide up into 12 equal pieces, using scales to be precise.

7.      Roll each piece into a round ball.

8.      Line a baking tray or two with baking parchment and arrange the balls in lines, not quite touching.  Leave in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes or until the buns have doubled in size.

9.      While the dough is rising preheat the oven to 220C and make the piping paste.

10.  To make the piping paste, mix the flour sugar and water together into a smooth paste.

11.  Put into a piping bag fitted with a small, plain nozzle.

12.  Beat the egg yolk and milk together for the egg wash.

13.  When the buns have risen, make a indent of a cross on each bun using a blunt knife. Brush with the egg wash and then pipe a cross on each bun.

14.  Put the buns in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until they are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.

15.  While the buns are baking, make the sticky glaze. Dissolve the sugar in the water over a low heat.

16.  As soon as the buns come out brush them with the glaze. Transfer to a wire rack with out pulling them apart and leave to cool.

17.  When cool enough pull apart, slice in half, apply butter and enjoy!

Post for Great British Chefs by  Monica Shaw

So what are you baking this Easter?  Are you inspired to try making your own Hot Cross Buns?  Will you and your family try some more chocolately delights? There’s plenty in our Easter Recipe Collection at Great British Chefs.  We’d love to hear your plans over on Great British Chefs Facebook Page.