Thursday 7 March 2013

Is Bread and Butter Pudding Still Frugal?

BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING

Bread and butter pudding has always been a firm favourite of frugalers everywhere throughout many generations for the mere fact that it's nutritious, filling and uses up any leftover bread that may, otherwise, have been chopped and fed to the birds. Worse sti, there are many who would simply bin it!
 
Not so a frugaler! The remainder of a dry loaf can be adapted to many things, as per several previous posts - homemade French Bread style pizza, bread crumbs for Scotch Eggs, homemade croutons and, of course, pudding!
 
Being of frugal nature (or possibly forced into such a mode by circumstances dictated by failing finances) many of us bake all our own bread. whether by hand or by machine, it still has a crust and can go stale quicker than your ordinary, preservative filled, shop-bought soft loaf. Using it up at all stages is a must to avoid waste, so let's try for ultra-frugal bread and butter pudding.
 
Ingredients
Bread
Margarine or buttery spread(real butter's for special occasions)
Eggs (from the garden hens/ducks/quail)
Milk (we don't have a goat, so this was cheap UHT skimmed)
Sugar
Sultanas (cheaper than raisins at the mment)
Cinnamon & nutmeg (added luxury)
 
Method
Thinly slice the bread then lightly spread margarine on each slice.
Cut into smaller pieces and lay along the base of an ovenproof/microwave proof dish.
Sprinkle a layer of sultanas
I used a duck egg and 3 bantam eggs plus about a pint of milk and beat these together with about a tablespoon of sugar.
Pour some egg mix over bottom layer of bread then repeat the layers - I managed 3 layers
Allow the egg/milk mix to soak into all the bread - press it down into the mix if need be, just as long as it's all covered.
Sprinkle a lttle cinnamon, grated nutmeg and a little extra sugar for added flavour.
 
Cooking
Once your dish is filled and all the egg/milk mix absorbed by the bread, place the dish in the microwave. My microwave is rated 'D' at 700w, so I switched in on full for 5 minutes. I then removed the dish, sliced through the middle of the pudding, pressed it down and returned it to the microwave on full power for a further 2 minutes, which seemed to be enough to cook it through completely. Let it stand for a couple of minutes when you take it out the microwave, as it's still cooking at that point.
 
NB: Unlike the oven-baked variety, which takes about 45 minutes in a pre-heated oven, this frugal version of the pudding will not go golden brown or crispy on the top.
 
Your bread and butter pudding is now ready for eating and can be served with exra milk. If you thk about it, it has alost everything you could want in a tasty, filling meal, especially if you use wholemeal bread, which is what I normally make here. It has fibre, protein, calcium, fruit and you dont have to use sugar, you could easily substitute that with a thinly sliced banana or apple and perhaps a drizzle of honey. This is a great, easy, cheap recipe, even with sultanas costing £1 per bag. It should be sufficient for 4 servings and probably works out at less than £1 to make for twice the amount you'd get in a cheap, shop bought one but it is not frugal if you need to rush out and buy eggs, bread and spices purely on a whim while having a passing notion for good old-fashioned bread and butter pudding.
 

9 comments:

  1. You know I've never thought of making it in the microwave!! I think I would pop it under the grill for a couple of minutes as I do like a crispy top, but what a saving on oven time if you do want to make one on a whim, and yes it is a frugal pudding if you have chickens producing eggs and a reasonable storecupboard, aren't we lucky :-)

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    1. We had it for lunch (odd, I know!) and it tasted jst fine, although it did look peely wally pale. It was a nice treat for a weekday lunch, taking pretty much the same length of time to make as scrambled eggs on toast. Yes, we are lucky. :)

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  2. Your recipe is so timely. I am having a good friend over for lunch on Saturday and she loves bread pudding. Thank you.

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    1. Glad to be of help, hope you both enjoy your bread pudding. I had mine with a little extra milk. :)

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  3. I've never thought of cooking bread and butter pud in the microwave, what a good idea.

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    1. I have to admit to eating the last slice of it cold and it still tasted fine to me. A definite 'keeper' for the frugal fast food listings. :)

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  4. Something I have made regularly over the last 45 years.............such a forgiving, good-tempered dish, I bet with fresh eggs it is wonderful. I never put sultanas on the top as i dont like them burned. I have used all kind of bread and even stale croissant, brioche and panettone received as gift at Christmas. ( I always let it be know that gifts of food are very welcome)
    I never buy margerine, only butter. I find it on sale here in the States for anything between $1.50 and $2.50 a pound and freeze up to 6lbs of it at a time. I am sparing with it so it last a long time. While I am not really a health nut I am so leery of what they put in margerine.
    Must try the microwave version of the Pud !

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    1. I do confess to having butter in the freezer but it's too expensive to use in cooking. It's about £1.50 for half a pound here.

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