Caramelised Figgy Bread Butter Pudding Recipes

CARAMELISED FIGGY BREAD & BUTTER PUDDING

Steps:

• The night before you want to make the pudding, thickly slice the baguette and leave it out to go stale.
• The next day, butter the bread and arrange in a big baking dish with the figs and pecans. Whisk together the Marsala or Sherry, milk, cream, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon. Pour all over the bread and leave to soak for 30 mins. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3.
• Just before you pop it in the oven, drizzle with the caramel sauce, then dust all over with a good layer of golden icing sugar. Bake for 50 mins until puffed and looking sticky and caramelised. Drizzle with a little more caramel sauce, if you like, dust with a little more golden icing sugar if it needs it, and serve hot or warm with cream, ice cream or crème fraîche.

FIGGY PUDDING

Steps:

• For the figgy pudding: Combine the dried figs and raisins with the brandy in a small bowl and let sit 30 minutes to plump the fruit. Strain, then reserve the brandy and fruit separately.
• Meanwhile, grease a 1.6-liter covered pudding pan generously with butter.
• Whisk the eggs together with the milk and sugar in a medium bowl.
• Whisk together the flour, breadcrumbs, baking powder, allspice, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a separate large bowl.
• Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until well combined. Stir in the soaked fruit and orange zest. Add the batter to the prepared pan, tapping the pan gently on the counter to settle the batter, and smooth the top.
• Put a metal trivet or aluminum foil ring in the bottom of a large stockpot. Put the pudding pan on the trivet and add enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the pan. Set the pot over high heat and bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour. Turn off the heat and let sit for 20 minutes.
• For the brown sugar sauce: Meanwhile, combine the cream and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring frequently, until reduced by half, the bubbles become the size of quarters and the sauce starts to pull away from the side of the saucepan, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Keep warm.
• Carefully remove the pudding pan from the pot using oven mitts. Remove the lid and let cool another 15 minutes. Run a small offset spatula around the sides of the pan to release the pudding, then use a skewer to poke about a dozen holes in the cake. Pour the reserved brandy over the top of the cake, then allow it to sit and soak in until the cake cools completely. Invert onto a serving platter and serve immediately with the sauce and whipped cream or store the cake at room temperature wrapped in plastic.

CARAMEL BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Place bread in greased 2-qt. baking dish.
• Combine water and brown sugar; pour over bread.
• Combine remaining ingredients; pour over bread.
• Bake at 350 degrees F for 50-60 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
• Serve warm or cold.

BREAD PUDDING WITH CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Beat eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until foamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in milk, cream, 1 1/2 cup sugar, rum, vanilla extract, and salt until mixture is thoroughly combined. Gently stir bread cubes into the egg mixture to coat. Let bread soak until the egg mixture has been absorbed, about 1 hour; stir occasionally.
• Dissolve 1 cup sugar with 1/2 cup water and vinegar in a heavy saucepan. Place over high heat and cook without stirring until the sugar mixture is dark amber in color, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool until it stops bubbling. Gradually stir 1/4 cup water into the syrup, about 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until water is incorporated.
• Pour warm sauce into a 9x9-inch baking pan and swirl the pan so the caramel sauce coats the bottom and sides of the pan. Let caramel sauce set, about 15 minutes. Coat inside of baking dish and caramel layer with butter. Transfer soaked bread cubes and any remaining liquid into the baking dish over caramel sauce and gently press bread cubes together. Cover pan with parchment paper.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place baking pan into a large roasting pan and pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up the sides of the baking pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a knife inserted into the middle of the pudding comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Run a knife around the outside of the pan and invert pudding and caramel sauce onto a serving platter.