This easy, delicious, homemade hot cross bun bread and butter pudding is a twist on the classic bread and butter pudding but made with leftover hot cross buns. A fantastic addition to the Easter weekend celebrations and recipe ideas. This decadent dessert can be served with ice cream, cream, custard, and fresh berries.
Jump to:
The shelves of every bakery and supermarket are stocked with hot cross buns. These sweet spiced fruit buns are a staple in the Easter season across South Africa, the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, and Canada.
Traditionally hot cross buns are served on Good Friday to mark the end of Lent, however, they usually start popping up on the shelves not long after Valentine's Day.
Because I live in the Southern Hemisphere, I equate Easter with shorter days and cooler weather, which makes a hot cross bun bread and butter pudding even more fitting on the cool Autumn evenings. Especially if you have some extra buns after the Easter weekend.
Why This Recipe Works
- This recipe uses the already delicious hot cross buns that are a staple around Easter to create a delicious warm hot cross bun bread and butter pudding.
- This is a great way to use any extra and maybe even slightly stale hot cross buns.
Ingredients
Here are some notes on the ingredients used in this recipe. Please see the recipe card for quantities.
- Hot cross buns - 6 hot cross buns of any variety.
- Butter to butter the buns in this bun and butter or bread and butter pudding.
- Brown sugar to add sweetness to the pudding. In a pinch, caster or granulated white sugar can be used.
- Cream (heavy or whipping cream), milk, and eggs for the custard base of this pudding.
- Vanilla to add a little flavor to the custard.
- Zest an orange/lemon to cut through the richness a bit.
- Ice cream, pouring cream, or custard to serve the pudding with.
- Fresh berries for serving - I like to serve rich puddings with some fresh berries.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1 - Slice the hot cross buns open and butter the top and bottom halves of the buns.
Step 2 - In a large mixing bowl or jug whisk together the milk, cream, eggs, vanilla, and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
Step 3 - Stir through the zest of an orange and set aside.
Step 4 - Place the buns into the desired baking dish and slowly fill the dish with the milk mixture. Allow the buns to absorb the liquids for 45 minutes.
Step 5 - Preheat the oven to 170°C/340F. Place the pudding dish inside a large roaster and fill it halfway with water. Cover the pudding with tin or aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the center just slightly jiggly.
Step 6 - Remove the pudding dish from the roaster and allow it to cool for 15 minutes before serving it with pouring cream, ice cream, custard, and fresh berries.
Pro Tips for this Recipe
Bakeware: Metal bakeware is superior when it comes to baking biscuits, cookies, brownies, muffins and quick bread, scones, cakes. These heat up and cool down faster than glassware. Glassware is heavier, heats up and cools down slower than metal and is more suited for bread puddings, pies, crisps, crumbles, and cobblers.
All my recipes are currently tested at sea level.
Ovens & Air-Fryers
The temperatures stated are for conventional ovens. For convection, fan-forced, fan-assisted, or air-fryers, the temperature must be reduced by 20°C/25°F.
For baking, make sure the oven is fully preheated, and that the rack is in the middle of the oven. Open the oven as little as possible. For best baking results use an oven thermometer.
Remember that all ovens work slightly differently and bake times may need to be adjusted for your specific oven.
Storage and Freezing
Store this mealie bread in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Keep in mind that this is a moist quickbread, and should the weather be rather warm, store the bread in the fridge instead.
Alternatively, you can freeze the mealie bread by wrapping it in cling film and tin or aluminum foil for up to 3 months.
Other Recipes You May Like
If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating! It gives my readers and me helpful feedback. If you want more recipes you can subscribe to my newsletter, and follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!
📖 Recipe
Hot Cross Bun and Butter Pudding
Ingredients
- 6 Hot Cross Buns
- 40 grams butter
- 300 mL cream (heavy or whipping cream)
- 300 mL milk (whole/full-fat)
- 3 eggs (large)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 60 grams light brown sugar (can use granulated or caster)
- zest of an orange
- ice-cream, cream or custard (for serving)
- fresh berries (for serving)
Instructions
- Slice the hot cross buns open and butter the top and bottom halves of the buns.6 Hot Cross Buns,40 grams butter
- In a large mixing bowl or jug whisk together the milk, cream, eggs, vanilla and sugar until the sugar is dissolved to make the custard that the buns will bake in.300 mL cream,300 mL milk,3 eggs,1 teaspoon vanilla extract,zest of an orange,60 grams light brown sugar
- Stir through the zest of an orange and set aside.zest of an orange
- Place the buns into the desired baking dish and slowly fill the dish with the milk mixure. Allow the buns to absorb the liquids for 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 170°C/340F. Place the pudding dish inside a large roaster and fill halfway with water. Cover the pudding with tinfoil or aluminium foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a futher 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the centre just slightly jiggly.
- Remove the pudding dish from the roaster and allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving with pouring cream, ice-cream, custard and fresh berries.ice-cream, cream or custard,fresh berries
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate. If scaling the recipe remember to scale your cook and bakeware accordingly. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs,I earn from qualifying purchases.
Pin for Later
Leave a Reply