Old Fashioned Bread Pudding
Hi BBC2 here and I have been baking bread over the last week or so and ended up with three half loaves of bread going stale, doh! I decided to make a bread pudding so I popped the end of a leftover loaf in the freezer until I had enough left over bread to make the pudding. It’s a cheap and tasty way of using up leftover and/or stale bread for a pudding, that’s just as nice hot with custard or cold on a picnic, or in a lunchbox. BBC1 would say that it’s down to my being a cheapskate and too tight to throw anything away, and there maybe some truth in that about not throwing anything away, but I still like this as a pudding. Try it and see what you think and please do let us know.
Ingredients:
A large loaf of stale bread, or use a mixture of different breads, that you’ve saved by freezing leftovers.
500g/1lb mixed fruit (BBC1 doesn’t like mixed fruit so I use all sultanas)
100g/3 ½ oz suet
1 tablespoon mixed spice or to taste
6 tablespoons granulated white sugar plus 2 to 3 tablespoons for decoration
Method:
Cut the bread up into one inch squares and put into a large bowl cover with water and leave to soak for half an hour or so. While the bread soaks grease an ovenproof dish (approx’ 12″ x 8″/30cm x 20cm) with a little butter and preheat the oven 180c fan. You should also gather all the ingredients together ready to assemble the pudding (I find it’s a good idea to mix the mixed spice with 6 tablespoons of sugar beforehand) as you need to use your hand to ensure that the mixture is even. Now take your soaked bread and squeeze out the water, put the bread pulp into a bowl and discard the water. Now add the mixed fruit to the bread pulp and mix, then add the suet and the sugar spice mix and mix it all together. Transfer the mixture to your greased oven dish and loosely cover the top with tinfoil. Cook for 1 hr 15 minutes then remove the tinfoil and cook for 15 minutes more. It should be dark brown when cooked, remove from the oven allow to cool for 15 minutes or so then sprinkle with the 2/3 spoons of reserved sugar. Serve hot with custard, cream or ice-cream, or eat cold with a nice cup of tea. Hope you like it!
BBC1: What BBC2 neglected to say was that this was my mum’s recipe, that he stole from her years ago! Also, in terms of frugality and waste who made too much bread in the first place..? LOL😘
Seriously though wonderful reader, we would appreciate your feedback on this or any other part of our blog. We are trying to learn all the time…
British Blokes Cooking 
I can’t say how many times I’ve made this. It’s scrummy. Best recipe and everyone loves it and I am always asked when is the next one .
So glad you like it! Is by far our most popular post. Thanks.
I’m currently in the Philippines and I am down to my last 50g of Atora and it’s not available here, so my only alternative is to use Crisco do you think that would be acceptable?
Marc
Forgot to add that I made this recipe about a month ago and it was perfect everyone loved it of course. Now they and myself want more lol.
Let us know how you get on!
I think that as long as you use some form of fat it should work. Some people I know use butter instead of suet. Good luck!
thanks I did use the crisco and it turned out ok,
Great, thanks for letting us know!
Hi Mark Green this is pretty much the recipe I follow but NEVER use suet. Soak bread in a little milk but don’t tip milk away after bread has been mushed add other ingredients including quite a bit of brown sugar – mix everything well and cook (180o but quite slowly). Sprinkle with white sugar while warm. Judy x
Thanks Judy, I will give it a try.
Marc, I’ve made bread pudding for literally half a century, using my mothers’ “recipe”….she never weighed anything and she never ever used suet. I did try this recipe, just out of curiosity really, and it’s a very good one, but I didn’t like the suet. I’ve always added a couple of beaten eggs to mine and I definitely prefer it. I’ve since used this recipe, for quantities, omitting the suet and adding the eggs and, in my personal opinion it was a better texture. (Apologies to BBC1 and BBC2).
Good luck and happy baking!
No need for apologies, taste is taste.
Hi the real BBC (BRITISH BLOKES COOKING) your finally comment about the BBC, (the other one), saying “who made too much bread” l reckon l do that subconsciously so that l have an excuse to make bread pudding lol.
Thank you. Confirmed for me my old mums recipe that I have now handed down to my 47 yr old son We love this plain yet delish recipe. Ta !
So glad it’s worked for you and hope it works for your son. thanks Pam!
I followed your recipe to the letter and what a treat! I doubled the recipe and filled one large Pyrex dish. It’s very moist, crunchy and full of flavour. I’ve had to use fresh crusty bread and rolls as I didn’t have stale bread so may have made it more melt in the mouth . Thank you so much for the recipe, you’ve made my husband’s day.
So pleased you both liked it. Thank you for your kind words, we appreciate your feedback very much!
I’m so grateful to you I’ve now live in Canada and wanted to make my nans bread pudding that I had as a child and I found yours it’s exactly the same recipe ad my Nan used I can’t wait to do it I’m so thankful to you and now my children can eat it as I did when I was a child and brought it from the local bakery
So pleased it works for you. Thank you fr your kind words and hope you can find other recipes on the site!
Thankyou for this recipe, I’ve been searching for weeks for my mother in laws recipe but had no luck, I used to make it a lot when the children were younger, they’ve started asking me again, and thanks to you in will be able to make it as it was
So pleased you like the recipe. Can’t beat good old fashioned bread pud! It is by far our most popular recipe and my 94yr old mum is amazed her recipe gets over a thousand hits per month! Thank you for your feedback, it is much appreciated.
I live in Australia we moved here from the UK when I was young
Mum passed away some years ago now and no one knew what I was talking about when I asked for a recipe for bread pudding everyone would give me bread and butter pudding recipes
So thankful for this and will be making it tomorrow
My favourite pudding YUMMMMM
Hope it’s as good as your mums one!
Hi Tony,
I have just made a Bread Pudding today, using my Mums recipe. Mine sometimes looks a bit pale, but I always try to use up any dried fruit such as finely chopped apricots and prunes this makes it really moist and yummy. Looking at the other bloggers I will try the treacle or molasses as they have done.
Lucky you living in Australia I went there in 2009 and 2012. I loved it. But at 70 will probably not be going back. Love this site and will keep looking for more inspiration. Thanks
This sounds exactly like the recipe my mum used to make and so simple because when I was little we didn’t have complicated recipes or too many ingredients as it was made cheaply and to use up, not waste, bread. Looking forward to tasting this culinary marvel.
Hope you enjoy it. Thanks!
Hi there yes you have made the perfect bread pudding I have done this many times over the years well done …..I lov to bake this when I am on a camp site every one won’t it yayaya
Thank you very much. BBC1’s will be really chuffed to hear that!
Hello hope your new home is coming along nicely, and you both be back here soon.
Lots of luck and happiness
Sheila
Thank you Sheila. We finally have a kitchen and should be back on line before Christmas hopefully!
My great auntie (born 1902) worked as a cook in service and baked something called Pudding Cruce (I never knew the correct spelling). Stale bread was definitely soaked in cold, black tea. This recipe looks very similar and as it’s been many years since I ate a slice, I’m looking forward to trying it.
Hope you like it!
Very similar to my own ‘recipe’. In inverts because I don’t really have one. I was looking for cooking times because not made this for 20 years. Most of them have eggs and milk and the point of this for me is no dairy! I used any old stale bread with equal suet, dried fruit and brown sugar, tablespoon mixed spice and cinnamon. Comes out just like yours too!
In the past I made with margarine if I did not have any suet.
It is a versatile thing and I think many families had their own recipes.
I cant wait to try this recipe. I have made 4 thus far all different recipes, but none have come out or looked as good as yours. I will let you know how it turns out.
Thanks, look forward to hearing from you!
This is JUST like my grandmothers recipe In Australia we do not have the suet I remember in England. Our suet is mixed with flour, so do I just use the 100gms of the mix ? Or should I buy some suet and render it and use that ? Can’t wait to taste it .
Not really sure. Suet in the UK can be sold mixed with flour to keep it dry and we would use something like that. Atora is the brand name here and that’s fine.
Thanks for the reply. Are you in England (where you can buy Atora suet) or in Australia where you can only buy Tandaco Suet which is mainly flour. I don’t think Atora is available in Australia, unless someone can help me find it here.
Yes we are in UK. So not sure re your brand. But you can order uk style suet on the internet I believe.
Does not matter that your suet is mixed with flour -its going into a flour mix any way. And bear in mind that recipes for bread pud are totally flexible, a bit more of thhis or a bit less of that will not matter. Also I like to use brown sugar, but that is a personal taste thing.
I’m in USA I just go to the butcher dept in my local supermarket an ask the guy to mince me some suet, it’s just the hard fat from beef, it works great an I freeze it
Sent from my iPad
>
Thankyou ken great idea I’m here to and was wondering your big help 😉
Suet in packets is available from Woolies in the spice section
Fantastic recipe, just like my mum used to make when I was little, bought back some very happy memories,
Thank you, so pleased!
Hi ya ,yesterday I spent 4 hrs online looking for a bread pudding recipe that i recognised and hey presto there you were. Today it only took me 2 n half hours to re find your blog. I have never used milk,eggs,flour,or butter but all other recipes say to do so,anyway here goes let you know the result and thanks again x
Hope it works for you!
Can’t wait to make this bread pudding. This will be my fourth attempt. Previous recipes say to use melted butter. From memory I don’t remember mum or nan using butter. So was really pleased to see suet is used. I will report back when I have made it your way.
We hope you like it and look forward to hearing from you, thanks.
Great old-fashioned recipe guys, like most people i remember my mum making this, she would make between 4-6 lots in one go (thats how popular it was!) I like to add 2tbsp of black treacle to your recipe, trust me its yum!
Great old-fashioned recipe guys, the use of suet is a must. I like to add a couple of tbps of black treacle too, never hurts to ‘tweak’ a great recipe!
Hi, my nan and mum use to make this, but she passed away before she I got to know how to make it. I knew she used suet. that’s why I looked at your recipe, the other recipes I looked at never used suet. would like to thank you so much. I thought I would never get to make it like my mum or nan. it means a lot.
We are so pleased that it holds such great memories for you and only hope that it lives up to your expectations…do let us know.
Made this a while ago and it was just like being back in my mother’s kitchen. I then took it into work to share and everyone said the same thing. One of them even got emotional over the memories it brought back. For me, the suet is essential. Has to be generous otherwise you can’t taste the stodge.
Glad it worked for you! Cheers😀
This recipe looks great. I make a bread pudding that I thought I remembered from my Nan and my Mum making but not with suet. I am 64 now so the recipe ingredients should I think be similar (what part of the country are your familt from if you don’t mind me asking) I have a bread pud in the oven now but will definitely try your recipe next time.
Hi, it works every time. We are both from London originally, as was my Mum who’s recipe this is – BBC 1. Do give it a try it’s honest worth it! Thanks for the comment, by the way.
Hi guys my dad used to make Bread pudding and used mixed fruit with no peel and cherries, he soaked the stale uncut bread in half milk and water, mixed spice, a hand full of sugar and that was it, I used to take the rest to school to share with mates. I worked with a cook in London who used melted butter as well which worked well. I make it here in Australia with mixed fruit, brown sugar, mixed spice and milk and water and white sugar on top although although it never seems to taste like the old man’s pudding. I will try your one with the suet and see how that goes. I have lived here for 40 years but still miss Bread pudding and my favourite Pie and Mash.
kind regards
Rita Drake
We love pie and mash and whenever we are back in London we always make sure to get some. There are some companies that do frozen deliveries now. Although not sure that would work for ‘down under’! Hope the recipe works for you😀
This is my favourite from childhood. My Nan used to make it in the 60’s and my Mum and I now make it for my kids. My Mum always used vegetable suet and I now use vegetable oil and add an egg, gorgeous hot and cold!
It is a great old fashioned recipe and you’re right it’s great hot or cold!
I love your recipe it’s the closest tasting to my nan’s bread pudding I’ve ever found. Only difference is we’ve always soaked the bread in strong cold tea, (3-4 tea bags per1.5L water.) We also add an egg to the mix.
Thank you. Fascinated about the tea, as have heard of milk but never tea. Should really work well. Also never heard of an egg in the mix. Will have to give this a go when we finally get our new kitchen set up!
I was wondering how much a large loaf of bread would weigh?, as sometimes we just have random bits of left over bread rather than a whole loaf. So wasn’t sure how much bread weight wise I would need for the recipe
Thank you
Hey I have made this so many times and always works a treat, however one question I do have is the quantity of bread, as you don’t have a measurement for it I never know if I’m using the right amount of suet to bread. As sometimes we have lots of left over bits and pieces rather than a whole loaf. How much would you say a large loaf weighs?
Thank you
Sorry it’s taken so long to reply but we’ve been moving into our new home. We think about 800gms to a kilo. Hope that helps!
Can I substitute four for suet. My nan used suet and I hated it. My mum who was born in 1914 used flour and I loved it. Have been looking for a recipe like she used.
As far as we know you can substitute butter or some other kind of fat for the suet but not flour. It needs a form of fat in order for the recipe to work. There is a vegetarian shortening fat that you could use we believe but you’d need to google a brand name for wherever you are. Someone else mentioned using butter instead of suet in an earlier comment. Hope that helps. Let us know how you get on.
According to Google there is no substitute for suet and I always include 2 tbs of Golden Syrup in my puddings using the exact ingredients that you have posted
This recipe is fab – just like my mum used to cook. I take it down to our local on a Friday night and everyone loves it – the old guys in particular love it with their pints of bitter!
So pleased everyone loves it! BBC1’s mum is now 93yrs. And she will be thrilled that so many people are enjoying her recipe…thank you!
Just making it now
Taking longer to cook then it says
All ovens are different it’s the kind of thing you need to persevere with. Anyway, good luck hope it works out in the end!
All ovens vary…keep an eye on it and hopefully will be fine. Let us know how you get on…
Pudding in oven as I speak. Smells lovely. Have I missed it or is there no oven temperature in the recipe? I’ve put mine on 175 (fan) Thanks
Recipe does say preheat oven to 180c fan. But I should think 175 will be ok, will just take a little longer. Do let us know. Hope you enjoy it!
My Welsh grandmother used to make this and called it Wet Nelly. Haven’t had it for years – must try your recipe. Thanks!
Hope it works for you and is as good as your gran’s!
thank you so much i made this with my dad when i was little dad never measured things out so when i try to make it. it never goes right i tried yous and its brill.
Excellent! So pleased it worked for you…
Fabulous just like grandmas. Thank you so much. I love your banter too. X
Thank you!
I used light brown muscovado sugar to mix in, and then used dark brown demerrera for the topping, used currants and sultanas – thoroughly enjoyed cooking this one, I just tweaked it a bit like my mum did
Wonderful! This is the nearest to my mum’s recipe I have found. She never weighed anything, just chucked it into the bowl. Wrapped cheap ‘bread’ does not work. I find leaving the bread to stale a bit is much better than a fresh loaf. I do add brown sugar to the mix. A large – very large – slug of whisky with some water to soak the fruit overnight really does improve the flavour.
Have you tried it sliced about a half inch thick and fried with bacon is also delicious!
Thanks! Agree with you re modern bread not being as good for this. Never tried frying it, what a marvellous idea thanks!
Brilliant! We think that all recipes should be tweaked. After all you are the one who’s going to eat it😉. Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you, I have been looking for this recipe for many years after my family and I emmigrated to Australia in 1982, a year later my nan died and the recipe with her. I will be making this for my Dad when he next visits. It was delicious and just how I remember it and I know it will bring tears to his eyes. I just need it to cool a little longer and I will be having another piece and will reminis about my Nan and the time we spent with her.
We are glad it’s what you were looking for. It always reminds us of childhoods and judging by the comments and the popularity of this post many others think so too. Hope your dad enjoys it!
you can’t beat this for comfort food in the winter….its great for brekky, lunch and dinner, even on the same day LOL
Totally agree! Hope the recipe works for you😊
Every recipe for bread pudding i found didn’t include suet, until i came across yours. My mum used to make this for the family, and i want to make it for mine. We all used to help squeezing the bread out, but we would have used milk. As an alternative to baking it my mum also used to steam it, which can be done when using suet, and also great with custard. This was a Sunday, if any left Monday treat for us. Fond memories, and by the way great recipe..
Thanks Cherie! Yes, we used to help squeeze out the bread, fond memories. I seem to remember mum using milk as well sometimes, although I am not sure she ever steamed it, must give that a go when we finally get our new kitchen!
My nanny used to steam hers in a white pillowcase and always made it at halloween. She never weighed anything she used to just say oh you will know hence ive been trying to find a recipe for years as she died a few yrs ago. I watched her make it for years as a child and i think she used milk too. Think i will try this recipe and see if it tastes the same. She also made sha buscuits which had all spice in them. They looked like a cookie but had the crunch of a ginger nut. Cant find that recipe either.
Hope you like it. As for the biscuits, you could try a ginger nut biscuit recipe and just substitute the all spice for the ginger?
Might just try doing that and will let u know thanx. My friend found a recipe for sha buscuits but when she made them they were soft like a cookie although the taste was the same. If i eventually do find the recipe i will post it up here lol
Im using the atora shredded suet so do i measure 100g of it shredded and chuck it into the mix or do i have to add water to the suet and make it into a dough first before adding to the mix. Never used suet before!
You don’t add water to the suet. Just add it as it is to the mixture. Basically it’s a fat and works in the same way as butter or lard would. Newer recipes for bread pudding can use butter, but we felt if it’s not broke why fix it?
I’ve just taken my bread pudding out of the oven and it smells divine I can’t wait to have a slice with a cuppa
So hope you enjoy it
we did your bread pudding and it was the best thank you xxx
Thank you. We are so pleased you enjoyed it! BBC1’s mum is 93 this year and we think it’s possibly her mums recipe. So it’s truly ‘old fashioned’.
decided to make this today as thinking about my mum and grandmother who both made fantastic bread pudding your recipe is the same and is now in the oven So nice to keep family traditions going
Hope you enjoy it Linda! We love it and have been eating since we were kids. It’s truly a great recipe. Our parents and theirs new a thing about waste not want not as this was usually made at the end of the week with the ‘stale’ bread. Enjoy!
I have followed my Grandmothers recipe for more than 30 years and we have always used milk not water and butter instead of suet. I also make it with a slightly wetter consistency so it turns out moist, not dry like some. Adding some banana also works a treat.
We think there must be hundreds of family variations on this dish. So many of us grew up on this!
warn people
when you press print you don’t just print the recipe, about 10 pages spew out until you work out how to stop the dang thing
Sorry, we’re not sure how that happens and not technically minded enough to know how to include a basic printable version. So if anyone wants to tell us how, we will try to include in future!
Highlight the recipe, press ctrl+P, then select print selection on printer settings.
Thank you Janis
Did you use shredded packet suet, in the old days it was different, came from the butcher
Actually this time we got it from our local butcher, but normally we would get the stuff in a box. Must say the butchers suet made a great difference because of lack of processing we suppose!
Yes this is the real thing with Suet. You can use margarine or butter but Bread pudding is just not bread pudding without suet!
too right Maddy! I prefer the packet suet. mum used Atora but can only get Tandaco here in Aus.
i’m disabled and my hands are a bit too far gone for sorting out butcher’s suet though have done it that way when I couldn’t get packet of suet. It has always amused me that they made it to frugally use up left over bread and then proceeded to add fruit, sugar, milk, eggs or whatever…. Hehe any excuse to make it!
I like the BBC1 and BBC2 sounds like bananas in pyjamas!
Lol! We thank you so much for your comments and appreciate your candour. Just love the thought of bananas in pyjamas!
yes Angela you can use butter or marge
A really lovely pudding many thanks for the recipe
Can you use margarine/butter than suet as im sure my Mum made it with margarine if so would the quantities be the same
We’ve never done it, but we assume you can because of the fat content. Would be fascinated to know if it works!?
yummy been making it from memory these last 60 yrs I was close but you ommited to put oven temperature.one I made today took 2hrs to cook (that can.t be right) can it
Just checked and oven temp is there for fan assisted oven, you may need to put it about ten degrees higher for a normal oven. It usually takes an hour and a half all told to cook.
This is just the recipe I have been looking for, do you know whether it freezes well?
Joy
Hi Joy, it freezes fine! Hope you enjoy…:-)
About time I found a proper bread pudding recipe! Going to make it this week, thank you for sharing your recipe! My dad is going to be so happy 🙂
We hope you and your dad enjoy it. Let us know how you get on? Cheers!
Have been trying to find this recipe for i dont know how long !My gran used to make this when i was a little girl she used to call it splodge cake .Made it today brought back lovely memories thank you
We are so pleased it worked for you. It’s really important that we remember these old recipes our mums and grans used to make!
This is truly old fashioned and the method is new to me and very unique. I kept on wondering why they looked like brownies. Now I know why. I think this must taste really good. Thanks for sharing and have a lovely weekend!
We think it is a traditional ‘olde’ recipe that all mums used to make in Britain, in one form or another. It is a very adaptable recipe, ie what fruit you use, whether you use citrus peel and the amount or type of sugar you use. But let’s face it, generations before us not only didn’t like waste, they really could not afford it! It is a memory of childhood for us and the mixed spice gives it it’s unique and lovely flavour. It’s well worth trying! Have a lovely weekend😄
yes this is like the recipe i worked out as a teenager , way back when, , i used water not milk, margerine not suet , mixed fruit and a tbs of golden syrup, i am surprised at the covering with foil. will try that. thanks for your recipe. will try it out on our communiy cafe next week.
Hope it’s enjoyed by your community!
Just about to make some bread pud- ever tried a handful of dried cranberries as well as fruit ? Delish !
No, but sounds like a great idea!
Pingback: Spiced Bread Pudding with a Salted Caramel Banana Topping | LauraLovingLife