Hot cross bun bread and butter pudding recipe

This hot cross bun bread and butter pudding is an easy Easter upgrade to the classic pud.

Just like with panettone at Christmas, sometimes you find yourself with more hot cross buns in the house than you know what to do with. Enter this epic recipe for using them up. Frankly, it's worth buying extras to ensure you'll have some left for the 'using up'. Because the buns already have raisins and dried fruit in them, there's no need to add extras to this dish - you can make it almost entirely with store cupboard staples. This recipe serves four - you can just double everything if there are more of you (or more buns to use).

Ingredients

• 4 slices hot cross bun loaf or 4 hot cross buns, sliced in half
• 2 medium eggs
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 15g (½oz) caster sugar
• 25g (1oz) butter
• 300ml (½ pint) milk
• 150ml (¼ pint) single cream
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

Method

1. Pre heat oven to 180°C /350°F /Gas Mark 4. Grease a 1 litre baking dish with a little of the butter.
2. Spread the slices of loaf with the remaining butter and cut them in half diagonally. Arrange them in the prepared dish.
3. Whisk the vanilla extract, sugar and eggs together.
4. Gently heat the milk and cream in a pan until warm, then remove from the heat and add the egg mixture. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
5. Strain the warm egg mixture over the loaf in the baking dish and leave to soak for 15-20 minutes.
6. Sprinkle the lemon zest over the surface of the pudding.
7. Transfer the baking dish to the pre-heated oven and bake for 25-30 mins until puffed up and golden brown. Serve at once.  

Top tips for making hot cross bun bread and butter pudding

This hot cross bun bread and butter pudding uses classic hot cross buns with sultanas and raisins but there are so many kinds available now and all of them would work well in the recipe. Try chocolate chip or salted caramel ones for a sweeter twist.

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