- Serves 8 - Ready in 2 hours -
Gather together…
1 pint (500ml) milk.
8 tbsp (120g) white caster sugar / white granulated sugar / any brown sugar (using brown sugar will make the dish darker overall, as pictured above).
6 hot cross buns / tea cakes (or approx. 10 mini hot cross buns).
4 tsp butter (enough to spread on the cut sides of the buns) - don't scrimp on this, as unbuttered buns just end up a soggy mess.
4 medium eggs.
1 tsp vanilla extract (the Taylor & Colledge brand is fairtrade certified / the Dr Oetker brand is alcohol free).
Handful of dried apricots (approximately 12), QUARTERED (so 48 mini pieces of apricot) or a handful of sultanas.
Get cooking…
1. Heat the pint of milk and the 8 tbsp of sugar in a pan until the mixture is rather uncomfortably hot when you poke your finger into it (but NOT boiling), this will take about 4 minutes on a low heat - stir it well for these four minutes to ensure that the sugar is fully dissolved. Don't let it boil, or the milk solids will probably separate (this can be salvaged by sieving later if it does happen). Then remove the pan from the heat.
2. Stir well and then SET ASIDE (and set a timer) to allow the sugary-milk to cool for 30 minutes (so you don’t scramble the eggs - even if it feels fairly cool to you before the 30 minutes is up, don't be tempted to rush as the eggs WILL scramble and make the mixture look horrid, but it will still taste nice if you sieve it). It is best to pour the hot milk mixture out of the pan it was heated in, to aid proper cooling.
3. Meanwhile slice open the 6 hot cross buns (or 10 mini buns), KEEPING THE CROSS PATTERN INTACT i.e. slice them horizontally, separating top from bottom and butter the cut sides. If you are using 'normal' sized hot cross buns (i.e. not 'mini' ones) then cut them in half again - so you are left with quarters as this will ensure that not too much bun is above the custard mixture during baking. Don't forget to butter them, as the butter offers a layer of waterproofing which stops them clumping into a soggy mess.
4. Place the cut and buttered buns in the bottom of a fairly-deep oven-proof dish (approx. 30cm x 20 cm x 7cm), so that the sliced buns overlap each other - don't spend too long arranging them at this stage as you'll be flipping them over shortly.
5. In a jug, whisk the 4 eggs and the 1 tsp vanilla extract together and set aside until the milk-sugar mixture has properly cooled.
6. Add the egg mix to the cooling milk to make a (very basic and at-this-stage unappealing-looking) custard and whisk well to break up the egg strands as best you can - we will sieve it shortly, so don't worry if it is still very lumpy.
7. Boil a full kettle of water.
8. Meanwhile, pre-heat oven to 180 C (160 C fan) or gas mark 4.
9. SIEVE the custard over the hot cross buns, using a spoon to squash out the lumps. Scrape the outside of the sieve to clear the holes, so most of the mixture gets through.
10. Let the sliced buns sit in the 'custard' for 5 minutes at first, then flip them over and soak for 5 minutes more, so the dry sides get soaked too. Then make sure they are arranged fairly nicely in an overlapping formation and that they are mostly submerged.
11. Sprinkle the 12 dried, quartered apricots (or a handful of sultanas, but the dried apricots taste really special and I don't even really like dried apricots!) over the hot cross buns and press the fruit down so it is mostly submerged (so it doesn't overly-brown during baking).
12. Sit the oven-proof dish in a large baking tray (which will act as a water-bath) and put the tray and dish into the oven. Use the kettle to pour the boiling water into the external baking tray (which the oven-proof dish holding the pudding is sitting in) until water is HALF-WAY up sides of the baking tray, to make a bain-marie. You may need to boil the kettle again if you are using a large outer-tray.
13. Cook in the oven for 60 - 75 minutes (or until any visible 'custard' doesn't stick to a teaspoon when you poke it, or excavate into the middle of the pudding with a knife to check it is set to your liking). Cover with foil (or better still a large saucepan lid which is reusable) after 45 minutes if the top is browning too much (then check every 15 minutes).
14. Once baked, remove the dish very carefully from boiling hot and wet bain-marie! Leave the water-filled baking tray in the oven until it is cool, then remove and empty.
15. Serve and enjoy. Keep covered and refrigerated (for up to 3 days) if you don't eat it up when freshly made. Microwave individual portions (with a splash of milk) to re-heat.
Adapted from Jamie Oliver's 'Bun and Butter Pudding' recipe, I swapped the cream for milk, as cream would've needed a special trip to the shops - milk we always have in the house.