Name: Mary Berry's bread and butter pudding recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Yield: Serves: 8
Cuisine: British, Baking
Ingredients: 50g (2 oz) soft dried apricots; 2 tbsp brandy or rum; 12 thin slices white bread, buttered; 450g (1lb) jar luxury mincemeat; 50g (2 oz) caster sugar; 3 large eggs; 300ml (½ pint) double cream; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 150ml (¼ pint) milk; 1 tbsp demerara sugar

By Mary Berry

last updated 15 December 2023

Contributions from

Jessica Ransom

in Recipes

Mary Berry's bread and butter pudding is made with 10 ingredients and takes 40 minutes to bake.

This is a comforting dessert at any time of year but the addition of mincemeat gives it a wonderful festive twist. You can use brioche bread for an even richer flavour but regular white bread is great too. If using something like sourdough, don’t skip the soaking stage as it will take time for the sourdough to properly absorb the liquid.

Ingredients

50g (2 oz) soft dried apricots
2 tbsp brandy or rum
12 thin slices white bread, buttered
450g (1lb) jar luxury mincemeat
50g (2 oz) caster sugar
3 large eggs
300ml (½ pint) double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
150ml (¼ pint) milk
1 tbsp demerara sugar

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Method

Generously butter a 28cm (11in) fairly shallow round china ovenproof dish.
Snip the apricots into smallish pieces and soak in the brandy or rum whilst making the pudding.
Make sandwiches of the bread using the mincemeat, but don't fill right to the edges because these are trimmed off. Cut off the crusts and cut each sandwich diagonally into four. Arrange the sandwich triangles across the dish, slightly overlapping.
Beat together the caster sugar, eggs, cream and vanilla extract. Stir in the milk.
Scatter the apricots over the bread. Gradually pour over the cream mixture, making sure all the bread is coated. If you have time, leave the pudding to stand for 30-60 minutes. Then heat the oven to 180C (160C fan, Gas 4).
Sprinkle the demerara sugar over the top of the pudding, and bake for about 40 minutes until well-risen, crisp and golden. Serve warm with creme fraiche or cream.

Top tips for making Mary Berry's bread and butter pudding

If you don’t have time to soak the pudding you can let it soak for 10 minutes while your oven preheats. The soaking allows the bread to absorb the liquid, so it becomes light and crisp during cooking.

What kind of dish is best for bread and butter pudding?

It is essential to make this in a shallow dish so that you get maximum crunchy top. It rises like a souffle, so serve it at once straight from the oven.

Why is my bread and butter pudding watery?

If you have used too much liquid for the ratio of bread or you haven’t given the bread long enough to absorb the liquid, it will be very watery.

Do you put egg in bread and butter pudding?

Yes, this recipe for Mary Berry bread and butter pudding contains 3 large eggs. The combination of egg, milk, cream and sugar creates a thin, custard-like mixture.

You might also like our bread and butter pudding but for more Mary Berry classics, try this lemon drizzle cake or her easy flapjacks. This chocolate cake recipe is one of our most popular bakes and these fairy cakes are perfect to make with kids.

Explore More

Mary Berry CBE is one of the most loved celebrity chefs in the country. In her early 80s, she’s been on our screens showing us how to make the most delicious recipes and sweet treats for over 50 years! Mary is probably most famous for being one of the original judges on The Great British Bake Off, where she put contestants through their paces for nine years before leaving the show when it made its controversial move from the BBC to Channel Four.

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