This hot cross bun bread and butter pudding is certainly the best of both worlds at Easter.
For a start, it's ridiculously easy and can be prepared in advance, so you can pop it in the oven when everyone sits down to the main event.
Creamy, crispy, spicy and comforting all in one, this is a proper British pud!
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❤️ Why you will love this recipe
- Prepare in advance.
- Extremely easy to make.
- Full of Easter spice flavours.
- Easy to add extra ingredients.
This recipe takes the humble bread and butter pudding to the next level, by using ready made hot cross buns (fresh or stale), rather than the more frugal stale white bread and with the addition of double cream for a rich creamy custard.
As the fruit is embedded in the buns, it doesn't burn in the oven and it's even easier to make, which is great when you might be wrestling with a roast on Easter Sunday and need to get ahead.
I've kept this recipe as simple as possible, but you could easily add chunks of chocolate, salted caramel sauce or any other naughty nibble you can think of too.
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🥘 Ingredients
A note on some of the ingredients.
- Milk - I always use semi skimmed, but full fat milk would be even better.
- Brown sugar - this gives the top a delicious crunch.
- Caster sugar - superfine or baker's sugar.
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post.
🍽 Equipment
- Ovenproof dish about 20 x 30 centimetres
- Sharp knife
- Measuring jug
🔪 Instructions
In a large jug beat the milk, cream, eggs, vanilla, caster sugar and spices together until combined.
Grease a baking dish with butter or cooking spray and arrange the bread.
💭 Top Tip
- It's important to let the hout cross buns overlap slightly so that parts of the bread are not fully immersed in the custard so that you get some nice crispy edges.
Pour over the custard mix slowly so that all parts of the buns have a coating of custard.
Ideally, leave it to sit for an hour.
Sprinkle with the brown sugar just before baking.
⏲️ Cooking Time
Bake at 180 C / 350 F / 160 FAN / Gas 4for 40-45 minutes until puffed up and golden.
Serve with some clotted or double cream.
🥗 Serve with
- Clotted or double cream.
- Vanilla ice cream
- Evaporated milk.
🥙 Substitutions
- Sugar - use granulated sugar.
- Cream - use all milk instead.
📖 Variations
- 'Bread' - use brioche buns or bread, Panettone, or fruit tea cakes.
- Fillings - try chocolate chunks, chopped nuts, pecans, hazelnuts
- Dried fruit - glace cherries, apricots, sultanas or cranberries.
- Fresh fruit - halved strawberries, sliced bananas, chopped apple or nectarines, plums, blueberries or raspberries.
- Sauces - salted caramel or chocolate sauce
🍣 Storage
This hot cross bun bread and butter pudding is best eaten straightaway, but in the unlikely event that you have leftovers.
- Refrigerator - cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Freezer - pack individual servings into containers and freeze for up to a month.
- Reheat - in the oven for 20 minutes at 180 C / 350 F / 160 FAN / Gas 4.
🍱 Prepare in Advance
- This is a really quick dish to prepare but you can also assembe the dish a day before.
More puddings like this
- Brioche Bread and Butter Pudding
- Eve's Pudding
- Creamed Rice Pudding
- Slow Cooker Chocolate Rice Pudding
- Microwave Sponge Pudding
- Chocolate Sponge Pudding
- Macaroni Pudding
- Cabinet Pudding
- Christmas Pudding
- Buxton Pudding
- Apple and Fig Crumble
- Eggy Bread
📋 Recipe
Hot Cross Bun Bread and Butter Pudding
Equipment
- Ovenproof dish about 20 x 30 centimetres
- Sharp knife
- measuring jug
Ingredients
- 6 hot cross buns
- 50 g butter
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 400 ml semi skimmed milk
- 300 ml double cream
- 3 eggs
- 50 g caster sugar fine sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Half teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- In a large jug beat the milk, cream, eggs, vanilla, caster sugar and spices together.
- Slice the buns in half and butter each inner side.
- Grease a baking dish and arrange the bread overlapping slightly.
- Pour over the custard mix making sure that the buns are coated so that they can absorb the custard.
- Ideally, leave it to soak for an hour.
- Sprinkle with the brown sugar.
- Bake at 180 C / 350 F / 160 FAN / Gas 4 for 40-45 minutes until puffed up and golden.
- Serve with some clotted or double cream.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article
Easter
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- Roast Mutton2 Hours 20 Minutes
- Roast Saddle of Lamb with Parsley Thyme Stuffing1 Hours 35 Minutes
- Roast Lamb Shanks in Foil2 Hours 25 Minutes
🍲Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using gas.
Do you have a question or did you make the recipe?
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Amanda
My husband's favourite!